Secrets and Lies
by locaxlaficcion
Summary: Spider-Man has to find out what's happening at Oscorp but he's not the only interested one. Will Spider-Man be able to work with the Avengers?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi! This is my first Avengers and Spider-Man crossover. I'm so nervous! This fic takes place after the first Avengers movie (I haven't watched Age of Ultron yet) and TASM2 but Gwen is alive and Peter is in his last year of high school.**

**I'm looking for a Beta'd because English is not my first language and I would like someone to correct my mistakes . If you are interested send me a PM, please.**

**Leave reviews if you like the fic and enjoy!**

* * *

Gwen stepped into the elevator. She had to go to the floor 15 to give the results of some analysises to Dr. Boone. She was still working at Oscorp just to know if more ilegal experiments were being realized, not because she liked the place. She didn't want something like the Lizard incident to happen again, it was the only way she had of honoring the memory of his father. The elevator doors opened but the floor wasn't the one Gwen had wanted to go. _I must have pressed the wrong button_ she thought. Suddenly, she heard a loud noise, as if something had broken, and a piercing scream. After that, a scientist came out of the room at the end of the halfway, run to the elevator and pressed the button to the floor 25.

-What happened in that room?-Gwen asked him after the doors were closed.

The scientist flinched when he heard her as if he hadn't realised she was there.

-Nothing important-he said looking very distressed.

The elevator reached the floor 25 and the scientist left running. After checking there wasn't anyone nearby, Gwen got his cellphone out of the pocket of her jacket and marked a number she knew by heart.

-Peter? It's Gwen. Something weird is happening at Oscorp.

* * *

Something weird is happening at Oscorp. That sentence had raised more red flags in Peter's brain than his spider sense. He didn't know why that company hadn't been closed yet, there had been enough incidents to consider Oscorp dangerous (no one knew it as well as Peter). But it was still open and now he had to sneak through a ventilation duct in the rooftop of the building to know whatever Oscorp was up to._ My idea of a perfect night_ he thought sarcastically. He crawled through the ventilation duct until he reached the basement. When Peter came out his Spider-man suit was covered in dust. _They could clean this more often._ According to Gwen, the noise had come from the last room to the right. He was about to open the door when he heard an explosion in the upper floor. Peter looked at the door doubting whether opening it or going to the upper floor and seeing what was going on. _Maybe it's not something important_ he thought. But then he heard another explosion and ran upstairs.

Some guards had their guns pointed at something in the center of the room. There were so many guards that Peter couldn't see anything so he climbed up the wall. Surprisingly, none of the guards saw Spider-Man, they were too focused on...Iron Man? Well, Peter didn't know another person who wore that eccentric red and gold armor so it must be him. The superhero had his hands raised and was saying:

-C'mon guys, you shouldn't do this. I'm going to win and you know it.

_What people say about his ego_ is true Peter thought.

-Don't move!-one of the guards shouted.

-Well, I'm really enjoying this but I'm late and my beautiful girlfriend is waiting for me at home so I should get going.

Iron Man knocked out a pair of the guards using the repulsors in his hands. The others shot him but the bullets didn't make even a scratch to his armor. _It looks like he's handling it very well_ Peter thought. _I better go downstairs again before anyone sees me._ But then another guy came into the room with a weapon that looked like a giant machine gun. The guard aimed and, before Peter could stop him, shot at Iron Man who broke through the wall. Peter lowered to the ground swiftly and shot his webs to the guard pinning him to the wall. His Spider-sense warned him that someone was behind him so he turned to see a guard pointing at him with the strange weapon. He shot but Peter dodged the...laser._ It shoots lasers, this night is getting better for moments._ Before he could stand up the guard was pointing at him again and Peter knew that he wouldn't be able to escape. Fortunately, Iron Man appeared and punched the guard in the face. After that, he grabbed the weapon and said to the guards:

-Don't move or I'll have to use this against you. And I know by my own experience that it hurts a lot.

-And throw your guns before I web you to the walls like I did to your friends-Peter said signaling the guards who were still trying to get rid of the webs.

-So you're Spider-Man. A pleasure to meet you though I'd have preferred other circumstances.

-Given our lifestyle, what did you expect?

Iron Man chuckled and said:

-You're right, I...

In that moment an alarm sounded in the building, interrupting him. Iron Man opened a hole in the wall with his repulsors and said:

-We should go. I don't want to stay here all night taking these idiots down.

-I feel the same.

Iron Man took off flying and Peter swung from building to building. He followed Iron Man until he stopped in an alley where a blond man with blue eyes was standing. Peter found his face familiar but he didn't know where he had seen him exactly.

-I guess it didn't go well, right?-the man said looking angry.

Iron Man's mask flipped up discovering Tony Stark's face.

-I got this weapon. It looks pretty cool.

-We weren't here for that, Tony! Fury is going to kill us!

-I'd like to see him try. Relax Cap, you always get too worried.

Now Peter knew why he found the man's face familiar. He was Steve Rogers aka Captain America! _Wow, this guy is a national hero and I'm standing right in front of him_ Peter thought, amazed. Actually, he was seeing Captain America and Iron Man having an argument, a fact which supported his theory about this night being the most strange one of his life.

-And who is this one?-Captain America said, pointing at Peter.

_This one?_ Peter thought, offended.

-You don't watch the news or what?-he said.- I get on them every night. The presenter is a pretty blonde woman, she's very famous.

-I think he doesn't know how the TV works-Tony said.

-There were televisions in my time, Tony-Captain America said, looking even more angry than before.

-Yes, but they didn't have 3D.

Peter tried not to burst out laughing. He succeded but he couldn't avoid to yawn. This made him realise how tired he was. _And tomorrow I have to get up at 7 am and endure history class. Who said that being a teenage superhero was easy?_ he thought. Steve and Tony were still arguing though he didn't know about what, something about a person called Clint. _I thought teams have to be united but these guys argue a lot! It's incredible they saved the world together._

-Sorry to interrupt you but I have to go.

-What a shame!-Iron Man said.-I wanted to show you my tower.

Peter rolled his eyes beneath his mask.

-The whole city can see your tower. It's the highest building of New York.

-Almost as big as his ego-Steve intervened.

-Hey!

Peter chuckled and said goodbye. _What a pair_ he thought while he returned to his house in Queens. A_nd I still have to find out what's going on with that laboratory at Oscorp._


	2. Chapter 2

Bruce Banner was working in Tony's laboratory. He was trying to find a formula that helped him to control the Other Guy...without much success unfortunately. He had been so frustrated that a green spot had appeared in his arm. Luckily, Bruce could calm down and the spot faded away._ This day can't get worse_ he thought.

-Bruce Banner! The geek I wanted to see!-Tony shouted coming into the laboratory.

_I was wrong, it can._

-What do you want Tony?

-I want you to investigate this.

Tony put a big black weapon on the table. Bruce had never seen something like that, and we're talking about a guy who fought the Chitauri invasion.

-How did you get this?-Bruce asked his friend.

-I stole it from Oscorp last night after its guards tried to kill me with it.

-Great. You didn't get what we need but we have this strange weapon-Bruce said with obvious sarcasm.

-You too, Bruce?-Tony replied dramatically.-I thought you'd support me.

-I support Spider-Man who was the one who saved you according to Steve.

-Steve is a liar. I would have beaten those guys with or without Spider-Man.

-How was he? He looks like a strange guy.

-Said the one who turns into a green beast.

-Go to hell, Tony.

-Don't get angry, it was just a joke Mr. Sensitive. So, are you going to help me with the weapon or not? I'd do it myself but I have to attend some interviews. Today is going to be a very long day.

-You deserve it-Bruce said enjoying Tony's suffer.-But I will help you.

-Ok, thanks.

When Tony got out of the laboratory Bruce observed the weapon. He loved new challenges and this certainly looked like one.

* * *

_What a day!_ Peter thought while he sat on the grass under a tree. He hadn't heard the alarm clock that morning and had arrived late at the high school. Of course Mr. Donnelly, the History teacher, wasn't very happy about it as he told him in front of his classmates who couldn't stop laughing. And what could Peter have said? Sorry, Mr Donelly but I didn't hear my alarm clock because I arrived at my house at 3 am after meeting Iron Man and Captain America while I was breaking into Oscorp. Oh, and I'm Spider-Man. Not likely so he shut up and waited for the end of the class. Suddenly Peter felt someone coming towards him. At first he tensed thinking it was Flash to laugh at him more but he relaxed inmediately when he saw Gwen. She kissed him and and sat next to him.

-Are you okay?-she asked -I heard what happened in History class.

-Does the entire high school know?

-You know news travels fast. Specially when Flash Thompson is telling everyone.

Peter groaned. He was the person with the worst luck of New York. Gwen, seeing his expression, laughed and said:

-Don't worry, by the next week everyone will have forgotten it.

-I hope so.

Both of them grabbed their sandwiches and started eating.

-And how was your visit to Oscorp yesterday?-Gwen asked between bites.

Peter told her everything that had happened the night before.

-So I couldn't find out what's going on at Oscorp.

-Look at the bright side. You met Iron Man and Captain America, there isn't much people who can say that. How were they?

-Amazing. I had never thought that I would fight with Iron Man against Oscorp. Although if he hadn't caused that fight I could've gotten into the laboratory.

-That's true. I don't know what we are going to do now.

-You are going to do nothing, Gwen. Oscorp is dangerous and I don't want you involved. In fact, I would like you to stop working there.

-You can't tell me what to do.

-What if something happens to you? I don't know what I would do without you.

Gwen smiled and put her hands on his face.

-Peter I'm doing this because I don't want another disaster like the Lizard or the Green Goblin. I don't want more people to lose their father like I lost mine.

Peter sighed. Those were exactly the reasons why he became Spider-Man: to protect the city and make the streets safer so he understood his girlfriend very well.

-Okay-he said.-I get it. But be careful.

-It's just a job-Gwen said rolling her eyes.-It isn't more dangerous than fighting criminals by throwing webs at them.

-Hey! It's an effective method.

Peter kissed her and Gwen kissed him back passionately. The sandwiches fell to the ground but neither Peter nor Gwen cared about it._ This day is getting much better_ Peter thought smiling.

* * *

Tony Stark was cursing his day. He had been giving interviews forced by Pepper who had threatened him with leaving him without sex if he "didn't meet his obligations". And who could argue with that? _I've spent the entire day answering a bunch of journalists who asked the same questions. If I have to say again how it feels to be Iron Man, I'll shoot myself_ Tony thought. He stepped into the elevator and said:

-Jarvis, to the Avengers floor.

-Yes sir-answered the Britsh voice of his AI.

He liked going to the Avengers floor when he needed quiet. He had prepared that section of the tower for when some of the Avengers were in New York and needed a place to stay. Steve and Bruce lived there. Both Clinton and Natasha stayed there when they weren't doing a mission for S.H.I.E.L.D. and Thor...well, his visits were less frequent because he lived in another planet and all that. In conclusion, Tony was proud of that floor which he had equipped with the highest technology and commodities.

And a Playstation 4. Nothing was more relaxing than turning the Playstation on and playing GTA V which was precisely what he planned to do in that moment.

When the doors of the elevator opened Tony went to the living room...and had to take a moment to comprehend what he was seeing. Spider-Man was sat on the couch playing with his Playstation. Upon seeing Tony, the masked superhero left the game and said:

-Hi! I hope you don't mind but I was getting bored, you didn't appear and then I saw the Playstation. I've never played GTA V and was curious. It's a really awesome game.

Tony just stared at the superhero for a few seconds and then shouted:

-Jarvis! Why haven't I been informed that Spider-Man was here?

-You told me not to bother you under any circumstance, sir.

Tony sighed. He had to teach Jarvis not to take him so seriously.

-How have you entered here?-he asked Spider-Man.-The doors are closed automatically. No one can pass without authorization.

-But the windows aren't.

Tony looked at the wall and saw that one of the windows was opened. _Of course, I should've imagined it_ he thought.

-And what are you doing here?

-You said you wanted to show me your tower, didn't you?

-Yes, I did. Last night when I was euforic because of our victory. Now, though, I'm exhausted because of all those annoying interviews.

-Oh, yeah, I watched you on TV today. I laughed a lot when the interviewer asked you how it feels to be Iron Man. What a stupid question.

Tony smiled. _I like this guy_.

-Okay, I've changed my mind. I'll show you the laboratory.

They entered the elevator and went down to the laboratory, the second floor Tony was most proud of after the Avengers floor. The doors opened and Spider-Man said:

-This is amazing!

Tony didn't need to see his face to know Spider-Man was clearly impressed by the huge laboratory.

-I'm glad you like it.

-You're kidding me? Of course I like it. This is the biggest laboratory I've ever seen.

-And with the most advanced technology.

-You like to bragging, right?

-Says the guy who webs criminals to the street lamps.

-That's not bragging, it's having fun. That's the giant machine gun, no?-Spider-Man said, pointing at Oscorp's weapon which stood in the center of the room.

-Giant machine gun?-Tony said, amused by the name.

-It looks like that. Have you found out how it works?

-Not yet, it's a pretty advanced technology.

-I wonder how Oscorp got it. I don't think they have the money to make this kind of weapon.

Tony looked away, a movement that didn't go unnoticed by Spider-Man.

-What were you doing at Oscorp last night, Stark?-he asked.

-Don't call me Stark, it makes me feel like my father. And it's not your business.

-You owe me.

-What? I don't owe you anything, you insect!

-One: spiders are arachnids, I thought one of the smartest people of the world would know that. And two: If you hadn't caused that fight, I wouldn't have had to help you and I could have sneaked into Oscorp laboratory as I had planned.

-I think you like sneaking in places too much. And why did you want to break into Oscorp laboratory?

-I had heard that something strange was happening at Oscorp-Spider-Man said quoting his girlfriend's words-and I decided to investigate.

-Who told you that?

-The Avengers are not the only ones with sources. By the way, who is Fury? I heard Captain America telling you that he was going to kill you.

Tony sighed and said:

-Nick Fury is a pain in my ass. I have to see him tomorrow and endure a lecture for not getting the documents.

-What documents?

Tony stared at that guy in a blue and red suit who crawled to the walls and shot webs to criminals. Should Tony tell him everything or not? _Why not?_ he thought. _Another thing Fury can be angry about._

-Do you know what HYDRA is?-he asked Spider-Man.

-A terrorist organisation, right?

-Exactly. HYDRA is known for comitting all kinds of repulsive crimes. SHIELD has been trying to stop their members for a long time and has closed a lot of their beadquarters. But they have invented a new method to cover their track. They're paying to companies with... doubtful ethics to carry their experiments.

-That's how Oscorp got the money-Spider-Man said with disgust.

-Yes. And that's why Oscorp hasn't closed yet. With the support of HYDRA they are more powerful than ever and we need to know what they are doing which is why I was there last night.

-And you did a great job.

-I know, I know-Tony said waving his hand.- Everyone has already told me, no need of repeating it. Now, I've been thinking and you and I have the same goal: to stop Oscorp. We could join forces, so do we have a deal?

Tony extended his hand and Spider-Man looked at it doubtful. _Is he really asking me to work with the Avengers? Definitely this is the best day of my life_ he thought while he grinned beneath his mask. He shook Tony's hand and said:

-Deal.

* * *

**Thanks for the follows and reviews! It's not bad for the first chapter. Probably I won't post the next week because I have a lot of exams.**

**I'm still looking for a Beta'd, if anyone is interested send me a PM. And leave reviews if you've liked the chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

A few months ago, Peter had realized he needed money because his aunt didn't earn enough to pay all the household expenses so he had started to look for a job. His high grades in Science facilitated him the task and soon he got a job as Dr. Barrimore's assistant. Peter made an exhaustive investigation (after Dr. Connors, it was better to take precautions) but he didn't find anything strange so he accepted it. Dr. Barrimore's laboratory was in the State Empire University where she taught biology. Peter had to go twice a week in the afternoons and do easy tasks such as cleaning, note the results of her investigations, etc.

That day he was tidying the laboratory. Dr. Barrimore wasn't there since she had to teach a class but had asked Peter to come and tidy her vials. The teenager just wanted to lay in his bed and sleep all the afternoon because he was very tired due to his nocturnal activities. _But life is not fair_ he thought while he washed the floor. Then he heard a knock on the door and a man came in.

-Hi!-he said.-Dr. Barrimore said I could use her laboratory today. I hope you don't mind.

-I'm just the assistant. If the doctor says you can use her laboratory, it's yours.

-Thanks.

The man looked to be in his forties, with black hair and eyes of the same color. Peter stared at the big red bag he carried in one hand. The man put the bag on one of the tables and opened it. Peter's eyes widened when he saw its content. It was the giant machine gun. The man must have seen his expression because he said:

-Don't worry, I'm not a psycho. I'm just investigating this.

-That's not comforting, precisely. Carrying a weapon through New York is not very safe.

-I know, I wouldn't have done it if I'd had other choice. Do you know Tony Stark?

_If you only knew_...Peter thought.

-I've watched him on TV, like everybody-he answered instead.

-Yeah, well. I work in his laboratory.

-That must be pretty awesome. I've heard his laboratory is great-Peter said as if he hadn't been there the night before.

-It is-the man said.-Working with Tony is exasperating, though. This morning he wanted to make some proofs with his new armor and he almost destroyed the laboratory. "A little mistake" he called it. Of course, I asked him to leave but he said it was his laboratory and he did what he wanted with it. So I was the one who left and that's why I'm here.

From what Peter had learnt about Tony, he totally believed the story. He supposed that living with that eccentric billionaire had to be difficult.

-I promise I won't shoot you-the man said.

Peter chuckled and replied:

-Ok, I'll trust you.

Peter kept cleaning. Every now and then he threw a glance to the scientist and the giant machine gun. After a few minutes he couldn't help himself and asked him:

-Have you figured out how that weapon works?

-Well, it's made of vibranium. But I haven't discovered its internal mecanism yet.

-Can I help?

Peter knew he was acting like a kid in a candy store but he didn't care. The scientist smiled and said:

-Sure. You look too young to be in college.

-Actually, it's my senior year of high school.

-And what do you want to do after that?

-Biogenetics.

-You like the easy things, right?

-I do-Peter said laughing.-But I love science, though that sounds very lame.

-Don't worry. I was the same when I was your age. We are not the most popular guys in high school but trust me, things are better when you get older.

Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door (again). Peter was surprised when he saw Gwen standing in the doorway.

-Hi! What are you doing here?

-I wanted to give you a surprise.

-You're the best-he said kissing her.-But I have to stay here another hour.

-Why don't you go?-the scientist said.-If Barrimore asks, I'll tell her I kicked you out because I needed space.

-Really? Thanks...-in that moment Peter realised he didn't know his name.

-Bruce.

-Thanks Bruce. I'm Peter.

-Nice to meet you, Peter. Good luck with the high school.

After going out the laboratory Peter wished he could work with Bruce rather than with Dr. Barrimore.

* * *

Tony, Steve, Natasha and Clinton were sat around the table in Nick Fury's office. The owner of the room was standing, visibly angry.

-Where is Bruce?-Natasha asked.

-He's busy with a scientific proyect-Tony answered.-He told me he wasn't coming.

-He should be here- Fury said.- This mess is also his fault. I asked you for one thing: to find out how Oscorp is helping HYDRA. I wrongly thought Earth's Mightiest Heroes could do a simple task like that!

-What did you expect? These two-Tony said pointing at Natasha and Clinton-were doing a mission for you and Thor is in Asgard so we were just Steve and I.

-Bruce was also there-Natasha said.

-Yes, but turning into a green beast who smashs everything wasn't helpful in this case.

-You weren't very discreet either, Tony-Steve intervened.-I should have come in instead of you.

-Really? And since when wearing a white blue and red suit with stars is considered discreet?

Steve opened his mouth to answer Tony (and not kindly), but was interrupted by Fury who banged his fist on the table and shouted:

-Enough! We have a serious problem, there's no time for your bickering. We have to find out what's happening at that company and, thanks to you, the security has been doubled.

-I have the perfect solution-answered Tony with a smile.-Spider-Man.

-Who?-Clinton asked without understanding.

-It's that freak who wears a red and blue suit and shoots webs to people-Natasha explained.

-Ok, his methods are a little strange, but he knows Oscorp better than any of us. He has fought two Oscorp biological experiments: the Lizard and the Green Goblin who was Harry Osborn, the CEO of the company.

-Maybe he doesn't want to help us-Clinton said.

-He said he did.

-You've already talked to him without telling me, right?-Fury intervened.-I hope you haven't told him what our plans are.

-Now that you mention it...

-Damn, Stark!-Fury shouted banging on the table again-We don't even know who he is.

-We met him when we were breaking into Oscorp. He was doing the same thing so it's obvious we have the same objective.

-We can't trust him-Natasha said.-Yes, he was breaking into Oscorp but he could've had totally different reasons. We don't know him.

-Cap-Clinton intervened,-you are in charge, what's your opinion?

_They remember I'm the boss just when there are problems_ Steve thought.

-It's true that we need Spider-Man's help...

-I told you!-Tony shouted.

-...but it is also true that we can't trust him since we don't know his real identity. If we have any doubt about Oscorp, we'll ask him but we need to be careful.

-Listen to me-Fury said with a threatening voice,-the only reason SHIELD hasn't gone after Spider-Man yet is because he hasn't interfered with our interests.

-And SHIELD interests are the most important thing, right?

-Shut up, Tony! I'm warning you: if Spider-Man screws it up, I will make all of you responsible and that bug will wish he hadn't been born!

* * *

Peter was swinging from building to building. When he wore his suit every night he felt free, like he was invulnerable. Being Spider-Man was something as necessary to him as breathe and he couldn't imagine how he had lived so long without it._ And all this started because a spider bit me_. Peter looked down to the street. Some people waved at him him when he passed although others didn't even look at him. _I'm sure the ones waving at me are tourists. New Yorkers are used to see me so much that they are not even impressed anymore_ he thought.

In that moment he saw a great number of NYDP cars around one building. He landed on the floor next to one of the cops and asked:

-What's going on?

-Someone has pressed the silent alarm of that bank.

-I'll go in-Peter said without thinking it twice.

-No way, Spider-Man! We don't know how many robbers there are and it's probable they have hostages.

-Then it's even more urgent to end this situation.

-If you go in there, I'll arrest you. Am I clear?

-NYPD has tried to arrest me a thousand times. That threat lost its value a long time ago.

Peter turned around and started walking towards the bank. He didn't want the cop to carry out his warning. It wasn't because he was afraid to be caught (he practically was an expert at distract the police) but if he had to run away from the police, he couldn't help those people in the bank. The luck seemed to be on his side because, when the cop was about to give the order to arrest Spider-Man, another cop stopped him.

-Leave him, Lenny-he said.

-But Captain...-tried to protest Lenny.

-We can't do anything in this situation, maybe he'll have more success than us.

Peter came in before the cops changed their minds. He didn't want the robbers to see him since they could get scared and hurt the hostages so he crawled to the ceiling. Inside the bank a group of people were sat in a corner, obviously terrorized. To Peter's surprise, there was just one robber. And what a robber. He was a bald man in his fifties wearing a green costume with big wings. He was pointing at the hostages with a gun while one of the employees put the money in a bag.

-Hurry up before I put a hole through your head!-he shouted.

The employee, who was a young woman, started sobbing. Peter decided that he'd had enough. He shot a web to the robber's gun, sending it away, and lowered to the ground

-What's wrong with the classic black pants and sweater? If robbers are gonna start dressing like that, I'm gonna have problems taking you seriously.

-Spider-Man, the hero of the city-said the robber mockingly.-I was wondering when you would appear.

-If you wanted to see me you could've sent me an email. You didn't have to rob a bank and dress like an elf.

-I'm not an elf!-the robber shouted enraged.-I am the Vulture and you should be afraid of me.

Peter bursted out laughing.

-How can I be afraid of a man past his fifties who wears a ridiculous costume and calls himself the Vulture? Look, don't make things worse and give up. There haven't been any mortal victims so you won't be long in prison.

-Do you think you can defeat me?

-I've taken your weapon. I've already defeated you.

-That gun? That was just decorative.

Suddenly, Peter's Spider-sense went crazy and he bent over just in time to dodge the darts that came out from the tips of the Vulture's wings. Then the villain threw himself against Peter but the masked hero kicked him hard in the stomach, making him fall to the ground.

-And this is 2-0. Let me give you an advice: don't ever work as a wrestler.

The Vulture just smiled, stood up and, before Peter could stop him, took off flying through the window.

-I hoped the wings were decorative too-he murmured.

He shot his webs and swung from building to building. The Vulture was several meters ahead of him and was increasing his speed. _The guy is fast_ Peter thought. _I have to find a way of slowing him down_. He aimed and shot a ball of web to the Vulture which hit him on the right wing, making the villain lose his balance and crash against the rooftop of a building. Peter landed on the ground swiflty and looked at the villain who was lying unconscious.

-3-0. And now you're going to prison for a very long time and I hope I won't ever see your face again.

His Spider-Sense warned him again but this time Peter wasn't fast enough. The Vulture used his wings to hit him in the legs and Peter fell. Then the villain stood up and kicked him in the stomach like Peter had done to him inside the bank.

-It hurts, doesn't it?-the Vulture said with a vicious smile.-And I'm just the beginning. I would start praying if I were you because your days are counted, Spider-Man.

The sirens of the police could be heard so the Vulture took off flying while Peter lay there, recovering from the pain. He had a bad feeling and that time his Spider-sense had nothing to do with it.

* * *

**Hi! I´m sorry for the wait. I'm posting two chapters at once because I haven't been able to post them until now. I think I'll have chapter 5 ready by next week now that I've finally finished my classes. Thanks for the follows, it's a lot of people! You're awesome guys! And if you've liked the chapters,leave a review.**


	4. Chapter 4

-Don't get into the museum, idiot!

-Gwen, it's a movie. He can't hear you.

-I know but it gets on my nerves.

Peter chuckled. They had decided to spend a quiet Saturday at his house. His aunt May had night shift at the hospital so they were alone watching the TV. They had argued about which movie to watch but finally they had agreed on watching House of Wax. And it was a horrible movie that luckily was about to end. Peter leaned to get the bawl of popcorns but desisted when he felt an intense pain in his abdomen.

-Are you ok?-Gwen asked with concern.

-Yeah, my ribs are a little sore and I moved too fast. But by tomorrow I'll be as good as new.

-Usually you would already be healed. I heard of the fight against that robber on the news but you haven't told me what happened exactly.

Peter sighed. He knew she'd be worried if he told her everything but the look she was giving him was one that said: "you better tell me the truth or I'm walking out that door". So he recounted the events of the night before. As he had guessed, when was finished Gwen frowned and said:

-I don't like it.

-Who likes a guy that calls himself the Vulture?

-I don't like the situation in general. What that criminal said... That means there are more people who are after you. Probably more powerful than him.

Peter grabbed Gwen's hands and said:

-That man is a lunatic who didn't even know what he was saying. You should've seen him, he was a bald man in his fifties wearing a green costume, a walking joke.

-A walking joke that beat you up.

-That's an overstatement. I had a bad day, that's all. I'll catch him sooner or later.

-Peter, promise me you'll be careful. I still remember your fight against the Green Goblin. You almost died.

-But in the end I won. Harry is locked up in the Ravencroft Institute and he's not getting out.

Peter sighed. Harry Osborn had been Peter's childhood best friend and it hurt him seeing him as the Green Goblin. But he had tried to kill Gwen and that was something he could never forgive. He slept better at night knowing Harry was locked in a place where he couldn't hurt anyone.

-Don't worry about me, ok? I'll be fine-Peter assured Gwen.

She nodded though Peter could see she wasn't entirely convinced. Truth to be told, he wasn't sure either. It was the first time a criminal escaped from him and that was what bothered him the most. _What would happen if the Vulture kills someone just because I didn't catch him in time?_ he thought. Tomorrow night, when he would be recovered from his injuries, he was going to look for him and stop him before it was too late.

Suddenly, Gwen grabbed his hand tighly and Peter chuckled:

-Gwen, I'm very resistent but you are going to break my hand if you continue tightening. The movie is not even scary.

But his girlfriend didn't give signs of having listened to him. She just pointed at the TV and said:

-Look.

Her voice was filled with terror so Peter turned his head to the TV. He had been so lost in thought that he hadn't realized the movie had already ended and the news had started which didn't make any sense._ Why would Gwen be afraid of the news?_ The blond presenter, the one Peter had mentioned to Captain America, was talking with that serious voice all of the news presenters had:

-...the doctors had decided to discharge him, claiming that he no longer represents a threat to society. No one expected this action.

After that, a video was put. There were so many journalists that the camera couldn't film barely anything apart from the journalists' microphones. However, it was clear that the reportage was happening in front of Oscorp, since part of the building could be seen. And, in the middle of that conmotion, was Harry Osborn with a smile on his face:

-I'm so sorry for my actions as the Green Goblin. I promise I will make things right. I want to turn Oscorp industries in a mean to help people's lives.

_I guess I won't sleep well anymore _Peter thought.

* * *

Steve was taking a walk looking carefully at the buildings. Usually he didn't take nocturnal walks. The night seemed too silent and lonely to him and he had had enough loneliness for a lifetime after being frozen for so many decades. _But this is not a normal day_ he thought. He had been wandering through the city for two hours without success and was beginning to desperate. _He must be somewhere!_ Finally, Steve saw who he was looking for standing over the edge of a building with his unmistakable red and blue suit. Steve reached the rooftop thanks to the fire escape that was in a lateral of the building and got close to Spider-Man who didn't seem to notice him.

-How are you?-Steve asked him.

-How do you think I am?-he snapped. Then he sighed and said.-Sorry, I shouldn't take it out on you.

-Don't worry. It's perfectly understandable.

-How is it possible? How can they say that he's not dangerous?

-Osborn getting out just when we are investigating Oscorp...It can't be a coincidence. Probably HYDRA will have pulled strings to let him free .

-This is so unfair. He will cause a disaster sooner or later.

-Then we'll catch him and he'll be locked in again.

-You don't understand it.

Steve frowned. He could sense the anguish in Spider-Man's words which surprised him. The masked hero caught criminals every night. Sure, the Green Goblin was tougher but he wasn't Loki either.

-How has Harry changed so much?-Spider-Man murmured, almost to himself.

-Harry?-Steve repeated surprised by the familiarity with which Spider-Man called the villain.

The masked hero sighed and said:

-It's a long story. To sum it up, Harry knows my true identity. He'll hurt my family to get his revenge and...I can't allow it. If something happens to them...

_Now I get it_ he thought. He'd be worried too if anyone tried to hurt his loved ones, like Peggy.

-SHIELD can protect them, Spider-Man.

-But I'd have to tell them my identity. You know? I don't wear this mask because I'm afraid of the cameras though I'd prefer to stay away from the Daily Bugle. It's because I don't want my family to get hurt. Becoming Spider-Man was my choice, they don't even know who I am. It's not fair getting them into this.

-I know it's a big step. But SHIELD is formed by the good guys.

-I'd be in their database. What if a hacker breaks in? Everyone would know who I am, including all of the villains I've put in prison. The situation would be even worse.

-That's a risk you have to take. I don't think Harry Osborn is going to attack your family...yet or he would've done it by now. But it's obvious he's planning something. Think the offer over, ok?

-I will, thank you.

Steve saw how he shot his webs and left, swinging from building to building. Maybe it was because of Tony's optimism, but he really liked the superhero and wished he would trust them with his identity. He'd be a good Avenger.

* * *

He walked through the big room and sat in front of the fireplace. It was a cold night so he had gotten out and cut the trees of the forest to use them as firewood. He had done it to have something to do, not because the night seemed really cold to him. He looked at the walls: they were full of animals' heads: a white lion he had hunted in Kenya, a big anaconda in the Amazon... And his most recent adquisition, an artic bear in the North Pole. They were his trophies and he was proud of them. Hunting was the reason of his existence, he needed the adrenaline he felt when he was chasing a prey: the excitement. Sadly, he had already achieved everything a hunter could wish. He had hunted the most terrible and biggest species and now he felt a void, his life didn't have any sense. _Maybe I should kill myself before falling into decadence_ he thought. In that moment he heard a knock on the door and went to open it. The visitor was a man wearing a raincoat and a hat so the huner couldn't see his face.

-Good evening, are you Kraven the Hunter?

-Yes, I am.

-My name is Gustav Fiers and I have an offer to propose you.

Kraven stared at the strange man. His whole being told him not to trust him but he was desperate.

-Come in.

Fiers stepped into the living room and looked at the walls curiously.

-You have an excellent collection.

-I know. I've hunted all of the most dangerous beasts in the world.

-All of them? I guess you are bored then.

After a moment of silence, Kraven asked:

-What's that offer you want to propose me?

-An exceptional hunt. It's a team work and you'd have the opportunity to hunt a unique species.

-What species?

-The Spider-Man.

Kraven smiled. This was the challenge he needed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi! Here's a new chapter. More than 30 follows, that's great. Thank you guys!**

**Answering to a review of Spiderman1fan, Kraven doesn't fight against Spider-Man in this chapter. But it will happen in later chapters! I wanted to make this one as a transition for what's to come so there isn't any fight scene.**

**Well, enjoy and leave a review if you've liked the chapter!**

* * *

_You're crazy. You're crazy. You're crazy._ That was the only thought that was crossing Peter's mind in that moment. And he was starting to believe it. After all, a sane person wouldn't do what he was about to do. A sane person wouldn't be swinging from building to building, going to the last place on earth where he should set a foot in. But there he was, going to that giant glass tower called Oscorp building. He sticked to the window of the 60th floor and opened it. The room was big with the walls painted white. To the right, there was a black bureau and a fancy chair and to the left, a picture with an abstract landscape though the last time Peter had visited that room, there had been another picture.

-Do you like it?

Harry Osborn was standing in the doorway. Peter was amazed with his aspect. He almost looked like the friend who cracked jokes and shared his worries with Peter. Almost. But his eyes were different. It wasn't Harry's look, it was the Green Goblin's lunatic look.

-I liked the other one more-Peter answered.

-But the other picture was so...boring. This one is more evolved.

-How did you do it, Harry? How did you get out of Ravencroft?

-The doctors discharged me, haven't you heard it?

-Do you really expect me to believe that? That the doctors suddenly decided that you were sane?

-The destruction I caused was due to a psychotic break . It's in the medical report.

-No, you caused that destruction because you injected yourself with a serum that made you crazy.

-You're right. I wouldn't have done it if I had known it would make me a monster. But I fought against its effects in Ravencroft and, though it was hard, I won. I'm not the Green Goblin anymore.

Peter just shook his head.

-You must think I'm an idiot if you want me to buy that.

-Isn't it a proof of my good faith that I haven't told anyone your secret? With just making a call to JJ Jameson, the entire city would know you're Spider-Man.

The last sentence sounded like a threat or at least that was what Peter thought. He got so close to Harry that he could smell his breath and said:

-If you tell my identity to anyone or you hurt my family, I will kill you. Understood?

-Sure. I want to focus on my company and continue my father's legacy, Peter. I have no time to plan some kind of revenge.

Harry smiled. It was a smile that gave chills to Peter and didn't assure him at all. Oscorp was dangerous enough without Harry Osborn. With him...Peter didn't even want to think about it.

In that moment a female voice came from a interphone which was on the table and said:

-Sorry to interrupt you, Mr. Osborn but Mr. Fiers is here and wants to see you.

-Thanks, Felicia-then Harry turned to Peter and said.-As you can see, I have business to attend. You already know the way out.

Peter didn't need to be told twice, he was looking forward to getting out of there. He shot his webs and left swiftly. He had one thing clear after that unsettling conversation: Harry was planning something. Peter just hoped to find out what it was before it was too late.

* * *

Steve sat on the couch and turned on the TV. It had been a boring day. He had spent the morning in the gym trying to kill time. After that he had had lunch and had taken a walk. However, he had returned to the Stark tower since there hadn't been anything to do. _This afternoon is being very long_ Steve thought.

Suddenly, Tony came into the room. His clothes were torn and his hair and face were covered in a thick black substance. Steve should be surprised but...he wasn't. One of the rules to live in the Stark tower was not questioning Tony Stark's activities. The billionaire went to the kitchen and grabbed one of the glasses.

-Are you really in the kitchen?-Steve asked.

-Yes, why?

-You're covered in...what, exactly?

-Oil.

-Oil, right. You are going to dirty the whole kitchen and I eat there.

-Jarvis will clean it, don't worry. You sound like an old woman.

-Sir, I'm not a cleaner, with all my respects-Jarvis said.

Steve burst out laughing.

-I have to update the software of that damn AI-Tony muttered while he poured himself a drink.

-What happened to you?-Steve asked him.

-A little failure with one of my armors but it's already fixed. Are you watching the TV?

-Yes, Tony. In spite of what you think, I know how the TV works.

-It was just a joke. You're too resentful.

Steve decided not to answer. He didn't want to have an argument with Tony so he focused on the TV. The news presenter was talking about Harry Osborn and the history of Oscorp.

-Spider-Man must be so happy-Tony said sarcastically.-If one of the guys I've locked in prison got out, I'd be very pissed.

-You're right. I talked to him last night.

-Really?

Steve told him his conversation with Spider-Man and the advice he had given to him.

-I hope he won't listen to you.

-Why?-Steve asked, surprised by Tony's reaction.

-Because that's the worst thing he could do. Maybe SHIELD will help him first but then they will use him.

-SHIELD wants to make the world safer, Tony.

-Yes, at any cost. Do you think they won't blackmail Spider-Man with hurting his family if they have to?

Steve fell silent. He would like to say no but he couldn't. He knew SHIELD agents could take drastic measures (and not entirely ethic) to get their objectives but in Spider-Man's situation... Steve didn't think the masked hero had another choice. SHIELD was the lesser of two evils.

-You aren't going to tell Fury about the weapon you stole from Oscorp, right?-Steve asked.

-We're talking about a guy who wanted to use an alien energy source to make weapons. Of course I'm not gonna tell him anything. And you?

Steve felt like he was betraying the people who had helped him and made him who he was now but he knew Tony was right. Fury had tried to keep the Tesseract in secret and use it to make weapons and he would do the same this time. Finally, Steve shook his head and said:

-I'm not going to tell anything either.

_But if we don't trust each other, how will we defeat HYDRA and Oscorp?_ Steve thought.

* * *

Kraven looked around. The room was equipped with the most advanced technology. _Whoever is the owner of all this has a lot of money_ he thought. But he wasn't interested in that, he wanted to start hunting and was getting impatient.

-You've brought me here to look at your toys?-he asked Fiers.

The man just smiled and said:

-They're not my toys, Kraven.

In that moment a man came into the room. He was young, with a friendly smile, and his demeanor showed that he was used to be the boss. But his eyes... there was something in them that Kraven didn't like at all. It was the look of a mad man.

-They're mine-the newcomer said.-Don't you like them?

-They're fine. But I've come here to hunt.

-I thought the patience was the best skill of a hunter.

-Yeah, it is. But I wanna be sure that you're not playing me.

The man smiled. But this time it was a cruel and sadistic smile, according with his eyes.

-My name is Harry Osborn. I guess you've heard what Spider-Man did to me, right?

Kraven nodded, everyone knew what had happened to the CEO of Oscorp.

-Do you know why we never win?-Harry said.- Because we are against the superhero, and everyone who is against the superhero is considered a villain. Spider-Man could've cured me giving me his blood but he refused so I turned into a monster. But did someone care? No, because Spider-Man is a hero and therefore he does everything well, even turning his back to a friend. I want to destroy Spider-Man until he has nothing to live for. But for that, we need your brother.

Kraven groaned. He didn't get along with his step-brother. Although he would never admit it aloud, he was jealous of his step-brother's special ability. It would be really useful for hunting and he didn't understand why God had given such a wonderful gift to his stupid step-brother instead of him.

-And after that?-Kraven asked.

-After that, we'll kill Spider-Man-Harry said with that cruel smile.-And the best thing is that no one will miss him.


	6. Chapter 6

Peter's head was going to explode. He had been studying for three hours for an exam, an inhuman torture in his opinion. Sure, he wouldn't have to study so much if he had prepared the exam earlier but with the latest events he had been very busy.

He got up and went to the kitchen. His aunt was cooking and the smell made him hungry.

-What are you cooking?-Peter asked her.

-Spaghetti. But you can't touch anything until I'm finished, ok?

-That's so unfair!

-No means no. And I thought you were studying.

-I'm taking a break.

Peter grabbed a coke from the fridge and sat on the table while he drank it hoping it would help him to calm his hunger.

-Peter, don't sat on the table-his aunt said with a dissaproving tone.

Peter chuckled, sat in one of the chairs and stared at his aunt while she was busy cooking. The woman who was like a mother to him and who had always supported him._ If something happens to her...I won't be able to live with it_ he thought. He had made a decision. He was going to talk to SHIELD and tell them his identity. He knew it was dangerous but at least his loved ones would be protected against the threat that Harry Osborn was.

There was a TV in the corner of the table. Peter hadn't paid attention to it until the news, that never-ending source of misfortunes, started.

-A terrible event has occurred just a few hours ago-the news presenter (though this time it wasn't the blonde one) said.- Spider-Man has attacked the Oscorp building.

Peter almost choked on the coke.

-What the fuck?-he shouted.

-Peter!-his aunt scolded him.

In that moment, a video showed Spider-Man standing in front of the Oscorp building with a weapon that looked like a bazooka. He aimed and fired. The highest floors of the building exploded and the people on the street screamed while they looked horrified at the burning building... and at Spider-Man who shouted:

-Now Harry Osborn won't cause more harm. I know this is wrong but sometimes we have to make sacrifices to stop a bigger evil.

Then he shot his webs and left swinging from building to building. The news presenter appeared again.

-Harry Osborn was attending a meeting this morning so he wasn't in the building when the attack happened. Unfortunately, the attack has caused multiple mortal victims. The emergency services are still calculating the number and the police has issued an arrest warrant against Spider-Man...

Peter opened his mouth but no sound came from it. He was too stunned to speak, he was just thinking: _that wasn't me! It can't be. I've been studying in my room the entire morning. How can this happen?_

-This is horrible-his aunt said while she washed the dishes.-I never thought Spider-Man could do something so awful. He looked like one of the good guys.

-Yeah, he did-was all that Peter managed to say.

In the middle of the confusion, Peter had one thing clear: someone had pretended to be him and had killed a lot of people. And he was gonna pay for it.

* * *

Tony Stark was totally focused on his work. When he went to the laboratory the rest of the world didn't exist for him and he felt in peace. Some people do yoga and he works in his laboratory. It's not so weird, right? Unluckily, his quiet was interrupted when his cell phone rang. Tony sighed and looked at the screen. It was Fury. _Great, just what I needed_ he thought sarcastically. He sighed and picked it up.

-Can you call later? I'm having a really good time and I don't want you to ruin it.

-I have no time for jokes, Tony-Fury said.

-As usual-Tony murmured.

-Have you watched the TV today?

Tony frowned. That was the last question he had expected from Nick Fury.

-No, I haven't.

-Go to the Avengers floor inmediately.

-Wait a minute...have you broken into my tower?

-Tony. Now!

Fury hung up and Tony took the elevator to the Avengers floor. When the doors opened he saw that the entire team was reunited along with Fury.

-You know? There's something called privacy-he said to Fury.-I don't break into the Helicarrier whenever I want to.

Nobody laughed or told him to shut up so he knew the situation was serious. The TV was on and what he saw left him speechless. He just couldn't believe it.

-There has to be a mistake-he said.-Spider-Man is a hero, he would never do something like this.

-Why don't you tell him what Spider-Man said to you, Captain?-Fury asked Steve.

-I already know-Tony interrupted him.-I know Harry Osborn knows Spider-Man's identity and that he threatened him with hurting his family but...

-But, what? You've seen the video-Natasha said.

_But there's something I'm missing_ Tony thought although Natasha was right. He had seen the video and Spider-Man appeared destroying the Oscorp building. Tony supposed Spider-Man wanted to protect his family at all costs but he had never killed anyone and suddenly he does this! _How can a person change so much?_ a part of himself was thinking. But there was another part saying: _maybe you never knew him at all._

-You remember what I told you if Spider-Man screwed it up-Fury said.-And this is very high on the scale. Spider-Man has killed 53 civilians. From now on, our top priority is to capture him before he hurts anyone else. And we have to watch Harry Osborn since he's his main objective.

Tony groaned.

-Really? Harry Osborn is not a saint precisely.

-You're right-Steve intevened.-But it'd be a good idea to talk to him. Bruce and I can go.

Tony sighed. This situation seemed unreal but the truth was that Spider-Man was no longer a hero. He was a villain who had to be stopped.

* * *

Harry Osborn looked through the window, delighted with the situation. His plan was working just how he had imagined. In that moment Spider-Man came into the room. He lifted up his mask...but it wasn't Peter Parker's face. This was a completely white face that reminded Harry of a blank blackboard.

-I don't understand how Spider-Man can fight dressed like this-the stranger said with a thick russian accent.-It's so uncomfortable.

-I appreciate your effort, Sergei-Harry said.-I see why you're called the Chameleon.

Sergei just smiled and said:

-It's my gift. I can imitate anyone, including the voice and appeareance. When my brother Kraven called me and told me your proposal I didn't know if it would be a good idea to accept.

-And now?

-Now I'm glad I came. Pretending to be Spider-Man has been very interesting and I've never visited New York. I thought this was the perfect chance. But I want to ask you something.

-More money?

-No-Sergei said chuckling.-What you're paying me is more than enough. I'm curious about why you ordered me to attack your own building.

-To make it more believable. If Spider-Man, in this case you, started attacking random people it would be strange. Specially with his obsession with trying to save everyone.

_Everyone but me_ Harry thought resentfully but he focused on continuing with the explanation.

-It's more logical to think that he tried to blow up my building because he wanted to kill me. It makes perfect sense and no one will suspect anything. People will believe that Spider-Man is a menace who will do anything to get his revenge. And even if he tries to tell the truth, that he didn't do it, who's going to believe him? Everyone has seen him in that video.

-And what are we going to do now?

-Now we're going to get rid of Spider-Man once and for all-Harry said with a devilish grin.

* * *

**Did you like it? Now Spider-Man has to face the Avengers too, what will happen in the next chapter! Will they believe him or not?**

**Right now the villains are Harry, Fiers, the Vulture, Kraven and the Chameleon. There's only one more villain so the Sinister Six can be completed. I'm gonna use a villain that has already appeared in the movies so I don't have to create a background.**

**Thanks for your support and you know reviews help me a lot so leave one if you've liked the chapter! :-)**


	7. Chapter 7

Steve didn't feel comfortable with the modern technology so in the moment he put a foot on Oscorp he knew he wasn't going to enjoy the visit. And having to talk to a (possible) villain didn't help either. Luckily he was with Bruce whom he considered a calm person (when he didn't turn into a green beast). That's why Steve had chosen him: Tony would anger Harry Osborn with his sarcastic remarks and both Clint and Natasha would try to punch the CEO of Oscorp in the face at some point in the conversation. But Bruce was a person who had learned to control his feelings and didn't get upset easily. Maybe Steve was being paranoid but he thought every precaution was necessary with a man so unstable as Harry Osborn.

They took the elevator to the 20th floor. They could hear the sounds of the construction site in the highest floors that had been destroyed in Spider-Man attack. 53 innocent lives taken because of the revenge of a man. Steve couldn't believe it. Spider-Man was a hero, an icon for a lot of people in New York and had saved the city twice. And he does this. It wasn't the first time Steve saw someone taking the wrong path but he had expected Spider-Man to be better. The truth was, he was angry with himself. Since yesterday Steve had remembered his conversation with Spider-Man over and over. _Maybe if I had said something else, if I could've changed his mind this wouldn't have happened_ he thought. _But what's done it's done. Now the only thing I can do is to capture him so he can pay for his crimes._

The doors opened and they stepped into a room with white walls and a big black desk in the center. Harry Osborn was beside it. Steve didn't like his look at all.

-What can I do for you, gentlemen?-Harry asked.

-We're here to ask you about the attack-Steve answered.-Do you know why Spider-Man tried to kill you?

-It's obvious, isn't it? He couldn't stand the fact that I have changed. He didn't trust me which is completely understandable. What he did yesterday was unacceptable though.

Steve was about to say that he wasn't a saint precisely but Bruce interrupted him.

-And has he talked to you since you left Ravencroft?

-No, he hasn't.

-Spider-Man told me you knew his true identity-Steve said.-And that you had threatened him with hurting his family.

-That's a lie. I've fought against Spider-Man just once and he had his mask on. I don't know who he is and, even if I did, I would never kill anyone.

That time Steve couldn't bite his tongue and said:

-You were a villiain not a long time ago.

-You're right. And I regret what I did. I wish I could go back in time and change it but I can't. But now I'm trying to be a better person.

-I hope you're telling the truth Mr. Osborn.

-I have nothing to hide.

I think you have many things to hide Steve thought but he shut up. Bruce looked at him and realized that his friend was going to lose his temper soon so he said:

-Thanks for your cooperation Mr. Osborn. We'll call you if there's any news.

-I'm glad to help-Harry said with a smile that looked fake.

-I'm sure of it-Steve replied coldly.

After that conversation Steve had clear: that Harry Osborn was hiding something. But what?

* * *

Peter hid in the shadows, avoiding to be seen by a police car. He hadn't even used his webs to swing from building to building because he didn't want to call any attention. He had the whole NYPD after him and if people saw him they would warn the police without any doubt. To sum up, the entire city considered him a murderer. _This is so unfair_ he thought. _And while I'm hiding the real criminal is out laughing at me_. He was sure Harry was behind what had happened. He didn't have any proof of that but Peter didn't believe in coincidences.

He was going to go to the Oscorp building (it was still open since only the highest floors had been damaged) and get Harry to tell him the truth even if he had to beat the crap out of him. Maybe it wasn't his best plan but Peter was furious and this was the only idea he had.

He had put his Spider-Man suit on just when he had seen the Oscorp building. The less he wore the suit, the better. He climbed to the rooftop of one of the buildings in front of Oscorp and was about to shoot a web when his Spider-sense tingled. He looked to the right and saw a flying red and gold object coming towards him. He didn't have to be a genius to know it was Iron-Man. What should he do? Staying or running away? But he thought that running away would make him look guilty and he wanted to explain the truth to Iron-Man, even if he didn't believe him. Iron-Man landed on the ground and lifted up his mask, revealing Tony Stark's face. He was obviously angry and Peter sighed. He'd had the tiny hope that maybe, the billionaire would give him the benefit of the doubt.

-SHIELD wants to talk to you-Tony said.

-You mean locking me up, right?-Peter replied sarcastically.

-You've killed 53 innocent people, do you think we are gonna let you free? I haven't beat you up yet because you've helped me in the past but if you don't give up right now, I'll kick your ass.

-Tony, please. I didn't do it.

-Really? That's pretty lame for an excuse. I thought you could do it better.

-I know how it sounds but it's the truth. Someone pretended to be me and killed those people and I'm sure Harry was the one who directed it all. And any idiot could get a costume like mine.

-So you're telling me that Harry Osborn attacked his own building just to frame you...Well, he's crazy enough to do that. And yeah, anyone could get a costume like yours, there are shops where they are sold.

Peter held his breath. If Iron-Man believed him, he could help him to take Harry down.

-But there's a problem-Tony said.-That guy had your voice and shot webs just like you. Too much coincidence, don't you think?

-I got the material for my webs from Oscorp...

-Just stop it!-Tony shouted.-You attacked the Oscorp building because you wanted to kill Harry Osborn so he wouldn't hurt your family but you ended up hurting other families instead. And I'm sure you are here to finish the job.

-I would never kill innocent people!

-The video showed otherwise.

Peter sighed. This was the most frustrating conversation he had ever had.

-So are you gonna come with me now or not?-Tony asked impatiently.

-I'm not going to turn myself in for something I haven't done.

-I'll have to kick your ass, then.

Peter chuckled and said:

-I'd like to see you try.

He shot a web-line and started swinging from building to building. He had to get away from Tony. His Spider-sense tingled and he turned left just in time to avoid an arrow. Peter realized that there was a man with a big bow pointing at him standing in the rooftop of a nearby building. _But a bowman is nothing without his bow_ Peter thought grinning. He shot a strand of web at the bow and picked it up. The bowman tried to grab it but Spider-Man was faster and stronger.

-Give me my bow, you thief!-he shouted.

-Sorry, but I can't let you shoot me with it.

Peter threw the bow away, laughing at the bowman's insults. Unfortunately, his luck didn't last long because a blast of blue energy hit him in the stomach. The force of the impact sent him flying against the window of a building. He got up swiftly though he was feeling a stabbing pain in his side. He looked around and saw he was in an office floor. He heard someone approaching so he decided to hide behind a desk, hoping to have a chance to use the surprise factor. A few seconds later Iron-Man came through the window and looked around looking for Spider-Man. Peter aimed and fired a web ball at Iron-Man's mask.

-Shit!-Tony swore trying to remove the web without success. He also tried to lift it up but the web had clogged it.

Peter got up smiling and said:

-Now you are not so smart, right?

-Do you know how much it will cost me to fix it?- Tony said angrily.- You are gonna regret this!

-I doubt it. You can catch me if you are blind. And your bowman doesn't have his weapon.

Before Tony could reply Peter webbed him to the wall and left him struggling to get out. Peter was sure he would get free soon so he had to hurry up. He couldn't let Tony capture him and turn him in to SHIELD. _It is ironic_ Peter thought. _Yesterday I wanted to tell my identity to SHIELD and now I'm running away from them._ If he hadn't be so nervous he would've burst out laughing.

His Spider-sense tingled again and Peter dodged a flying object. He didn't know what it was but he felt how it passed above his head. Maybe the object hadn't hit him but it had cut his webs and Peter fell to the ground. Black dots appeared in his vision and he felt blood dripping from his forehead. Peter thought he was going to pass out. But the moment passed and he looked to the right to see the Captain America standing in front of him, holding his shield. So that was the object. Then another thought struck him: I_'m going to have to fight against all the Avengers? Really?_

-Give up now, Spider-Man. The whole city is against you.

Peter stood up fighting a wave of dizziness. His voice came out hoarsely when he said:

-I'm not gonna give up. I know you don't believe me but I'm innocent.

-There's nothing worse than a liar except a murderer. And you are both.

Captain America threw his shield at him and Peter jumped to avoid it. The shield bounced in the wall and was returning to Captain America's hand when Peter shot his webs at it and threw it to an alley.

-I don't need my shield to defeat you-Steve said.

-Great. Because I don't think it's gonna move from that alley.

Captain America launched at Spider-Man who tried to kick him but Captain America grabbed his leg and threw him against a wall with so much force that he broke through it. I'm gonna have to do it better than that Peter thought. .

Captain America was already coming towards him so Peter got up swiftly (though he felt as his back were on fire), punched him in the face and kicked him in the stomach. Peter looked for a way of escaping while he still had time. He found a window on the right and was about to shoot a web to run away when his Spider-sense tingled. He dodged and a bullet passed just a few milimeters away from his ear. He looked at the direction from which the gunshot had come and saw a red-headed woman pointing at him with a gun in each hand.

-Natasha, we have to capture him alive-Steve said.

-Yes but Fury didn't say anything about not hurting him-Natasha replied with a mischievous smile that Peter didn't like at all.

The red-headed shot various times at Peter who had to perform all kind of jumps (and trust a lot in his spider-sense) to avoid the bullets. Finally, Natasha threw the guns angrily because she had run out of ammunition but she grinned and said.

-Never mind. I still have knives.

-Great- Peter said sarcastically.- What are you, a frustrated Amazone?

-Shut up, smart-ass.

-But that's one of my best charmings.

Peter couldn't say anything else since Captain America grabbed him by his arms, immobilizing him. Natasha got close to him and Peter thought the two Avengers looked a lot like the bullies of his high school. He almost uttered a hysterical laugh because he knew there was no way of getting out of that mess. They were gonna take him to SHIELD and locked him up. Spider-Man would be remembered as the lunatic who killed 53 people, the real culprit would be free and Harry would get his revenge. But that's not right he thought. Harry is crazy and wants to destroy me completely. He'll kill aunt May and Gwen. I have to protect them. That thought gave him strength. He lifted his legs and kicked Natasha in the stomach with all the strength he had. The agent flew across the room and, before Steve could react, Peter broke free from the grip and fired a web ball at his face. _I really have to think another tactic_ Peter thought. He turned around swiftly and webbed Natasha, who was starting to get up, to the floor.

-I'm going to kill you when I'm free!-Natasha shouted.

-How curious, Tony told me the same just a few minutes ago.

He ran to the window and swung from building to building. His entire body ached and he almost crashed against a streetlamp due to the dizziness. When black dots started to appear in his vision again he knew he wasn't gonna make it to his house so he went to Gwen's house which was closer. Her window was open and he could see her bent over a book studying. She's so pretty he thought. He came into the room and Gwen raised her head. She looked at him and nearly shouted:

-Oh, my god! What the hell has happened to you?

Peter looked at himself and saw his suit was torn and dusty. Funny, I hadn't even realized it he thought. He was going to open his mouth but his vision blackened and he passed out.

* * *

**This chapter has been the most difficult to write for me. Specially because I'm not used to write fight scenes and I didn't know the vocabulary so I apologize for the mistakes.**

**If you have enjoyed it leave a review :-)**


	8. Chapter 8

The first thing Peter felt when he woke up was an unbearable pain in entire body. He opened his eyes and realized he wasn't in his house. After a closer look he saw he was in Gwen's room. _How did I get here?_ But he was too confused and disoriented to think about it. He looked down and saw he wasn't wearing his suit, just his underpants, though the most disturbing fact was that his ribs were bandaged. Then he remembered everything: his fight against the Avengers and how he had crashed in his girlfriend's room. The door opened and Gwen came in with a tray full of food. Upon seeing him awake, she breathed a sigh of relief. Then she put the tray on a table and sat in the bed.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"It hurts but I'll survive. Don't worry".

Peter knew he had said something wrong because Gwen suddenly looked angry and shouted:

"Don't worry? You scared the hell out of me last night! You looked half dead and I almost took you to the hospital".

"That wouldn't have been a good idea".

"I wouldn't have had to worry about that if you hadn't decided to wear your suit when the whole city is looking for you! What were you thinking about?".

"I wanted..."

What had he wanted? Break into Oscorp and beat the crap out of Harry until he told him the truth. Had he really thought that was going to work? Deep down he hadn't but he had been desperate enough to try it.

"I'm sorry" he said. "It was stupid".

"Yes, it was. Peter, please, promise me you won't wear your suit while this is happening".

"And how am I gonna defeat Harry, then? Everyone thinks I'm a murderer and the real culprit is free after killing those people".

"I know it's unfair" Gwen said "but you have to be careful or the next time the NYPD will catch you. They almost killed you last night".

"It wasn't the police".

"What?" Gwen asked, confused.

Peter recounted his fight against the Avengers.

"The Avengers?" Gwen shouted. "You're saying that the most important heroes of the world are after you?"

"Yeah. I tried to tell them the truth but they didn't believe me".

Gwen's expression softened when she noticed the hurt tone in Peter's voice. She held his hand and said:

"I know this might sound hard to believe but everything will be fine. If you could fight against a giant lizard and a crazy guy who could shoot electricity you can go through this".

Peter smiled and kissed her. He had spent one of the worst night of his life but this was one of the best mornings.

* * *

Fury banged hs fist in the table but none of the Avengers flinched. They were used to his reactions and SHIELD's director had right to be angry with them.

"People call you Earth's Mightiest Heroes. You defeated an alien army but you are unable to capture a single person who goes swinging through the city like he owned it".

"He caught us by surprise" Tony answered.

"Really? Because I thought you had made a plan".

"Fury, you're right" Steve said ignoring Tony's snort "We underestimated him and he escaped. It won't happen again."

"What if he doesn't appear again?" Clint asked. "Maybe he has decided not to wear the suit and lay low for a while. It's what I would do in his situation".

"That would be a big problem since no one knows Spider-Man's identity" Bruce said.

"He will appear again" Natasha replied with a knowing smile. "He wants to kill Harry Osborn. People driven by revenge will do anything".

"While I was fighting against him, Spider-Man told me that he was innocent" Tony said.

"And did you believe him?" Steve asked.

Tony opened his mouth to answer but he didn't know what to say. In that moment he had refused to believe Spider-Man mostly because he would've doubted and Spider-Man would've escaped. Not that it had made much difference.

But he had looked honest, hadn't he? And his explanation made a lot of sense. Someone could've used a voice changer to pretend to be him, right? Or maybe the explanation was ridiculous and he just wanted to believe Spider-Man.

"I don't know" Tony finally answered.

"There's another thing" Steve intervened. "It's Harry Osborn, he's hiding something".

"What, exactly?" Natasha asked.

"I don't know, it was just a feeling".

"Steve is right" Bruce said. "It was obvious that Osborn was lying to us".

"Someone like Harry Osborn is always up to something" Tony said. "He likes being a pain in the ass".

"Osborn is not important right now" Fury said. Our top priority is to capture Spider-Man. Dead or alive".

Tony sighed. He wasn't a murderer and he didn't want to kill Spider-Man. He hoped things wouldn't go so far.

* * *

Harry was worried. He hadn't expected the Avengers to react so quickly. Their fight against Spider-Man was in every newspaper of the city. They could've caught him or, even worst, killed him. _And I'm the only one who can do that_ he thought grinning. He would have to hurry things up and finish his plan before those assholes can ruin his revenge.

"Mr. Osborn" Felicia's voice came from the interphone "there's a man here. He doesn't want to tell me his name though he looks like a soldier".

Harry grimaced:

"Let him in".

The door opened and a broad-shouldered man with a militar uniform came into the room. Harry made an effort to put a false smile and said:

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Baron Von Strucker".

"I'm sure of it. Are you enjoying your freedom, Mr. Osborn?"

"Yes, I am".

"You have a debt with HYDRA, if it wasn't for us you'd still be in prison".

"I know that perfectly, Von Strucker" Harry said briskly.

"And I assume you also know that we can put you back there in less than a minute if you don't keep your end of the bargain".

"First I have to take care of some business".

"That masked idiot, I presume, right?" Von Strucker said. "Do it quickly then. We don't give away anything for free".

_Yeah, I already know that genius_ Harry thought sarcastically but he said with another fake smile (he was becoming an expert in that):

"Don't worry, I have it all under control. Very soon Spider-Man will be history".

* * *

**So, here's the chapter. I know it's a little short but I promise you the next ones will be longer (I think). For those who don't know Baron Von Strucker is HYDRA's leader though he's not going to have an important role in this fanfic. I just wanted to clarify that Harry has to do something for HYDRA since they got him out of prison. I'll explain what exactly in later chapters. Thanks to everyone who have reviewed/favorited/followed. Really, +40 follows! It's amazing! **

**If you've liked it, leave a review! :-)**

**PD: I'm using quotation marks instead of hyphens to introduce what characters say because I was told in a review that it was less confusing. **


	9. Chapter 9

Peter watched Gwen sleeping. She had spent the entire night awake, taking care of him, and she had fallen asleep a few hours ago, totally exhausted. Peter sighed. He didn't want to worry her but it looked as if he was doing it a lately. On top of that, the last days had been a nightmare and it didn't look like it was going to end any time soon.

He almost jumped off the bed when his cell phone rang. He picked it up, sure that it was his aunt asking him why he had stayed at Gwen's house last night instead of coming home.

"Hi! Aunt May. I'm sorry I didn't warn you..."

"Your aunt still has you on a leash, Peter?"

Peter didn't know what to say at first. This was the last call he had expected.

"Harry, what do you want?"

"I just wanted to know how you're doing. I heard you had a nasty fight against the Avengers last night".

Peter felt like he was going to explode. He took a deep breath and said with a great amount of sarcasm:

"Yeah, they wanted to capture me because they think I blew up your building. How curious, right?".

"Yes, I watched the video" said Harry casually, like he was talking about a video of cats on Youtube. "The highest floors are being rebuilt".

"It's a complicated plan to just frame me, isn't it?"

"Frame you?" Harry repeated in a tone that sounded almost honest "Why would I do such a thing?"

"Enjoy while you can, Harry. You'll be back in prison very soon".

Harry laughed and said:

"I don't think so. Yes, I incriminated you but you must admit that it was an ingenious idea".

"53 people are dead because of you!" Peter said enraged.

"You were the one who started this when you refused to help me!" Harry shouted and then said, in a calmer voice. "I want to propose you something, Peter. This is between you and me, I don't want anyone meddling in our affairs. I want to kill you today".

"When and where?" Peter asked, not thinking twice about it.

"In an hour, at the docks. And just in case you haven't noticed it, this is not exactly an offer. If you don't appear, I'll go after that pretty girlfriend of yours".

"I'll be there".

He hung up and stared at the cell phone. Peter got up, picked up his suit from the floor and put it on.

"Peter".

Peter turned around. Gwen was looking at him with pleading eyes.

"How much have you heard?" asked Peter.

"Enough. Don't go, please".

"I have to".

"He'll kill you!"

"And if I don't go he'll kill you and aunt May. I can't let that happen, I have to keep you safe".

Gwen got up and held his hand.

"I know you think I'm fragile but I can take care of myself, Peter".

"I've never said that you're fragile".

"But you treat me like that. I'm begging you not to go, we'll figure something out".

"What, exactly?" asked Peter with a sad smile. "The police is looking for me as well as the Avengers and SHIELD. I have to solve this on my own".

Gwen had started crying. Peter cupped her face with his hands and washed away the tears with the thumbs. Then he leaned and kissed her slowly, knowing that maybe it would be the last time he did it. When the kiss ended, Gwen's eyes were still bright but she wasn't crying anymore. She knew that she wasn't going to change his mind and felt as if her heart was breaking in two.

"I love you" she nearly whispered because she felt a lump in her throat that didn't allow her to talk louder.

"I love you too" Peter also whispered. Then he climbed to the window, shot his webs and left.

Gwen leaned out of the window and saw how he left swinging through the city. When he turned the corner, she sat on the bed and took deep breaths trying to get control of herself and stop trembling. Her boyfriend was going to fight against a lunatic and she could do nothing to help him. She thought about taking her mother's car keys and going to the docks but she knew she would be useless. What could she do against a guy whose DNA was drastically altered? _But I'm not going to stay here and wait to see how Harry Osborn kills him_ she thought._ I have to do something._

Then she had an idea. Maybe she couldn't help Peter, but there were others who could. It was risky but it was the only option she could think of.

* * *

Pepper Potts was busy working with her computer. She had attended three meetings today and was exhausted but she still had things to do. That's why she got so angry every time her boyfriend, aka Tony Stark, complained because he had to go to a ridiculous interview. She sighed. Sometimes she thought Tony had given her the management of the company just to annoy her. The phone ringing interrupted her thoughts. She picked it up and said:

"Stark Inc, this is Pepper Potts, how can I help you?"

"I need to talk to Tony Stark"a young female voice said.

Pepper rolled her eyes. She hated when Iron-Man fans called her to waste her time. She sighed and gave the standard answer.

"I'm sorry but Mr. Stark is busy".

"It's about Spider-Man".

Pepper sighed. Tony had told her to inform him if anyone called with news about Spider-Man. _Top priority_ he had said. But she wanted to get sure.

"Look, if you're calling because you've seen him swinging through the city or something like that tell me and I'll inform Tony...I mean, Mr. Stark".

"It's not about that. I need to talk to Tony Stark personally. Spider-Man's life is in danger".

Pepper frowned. Most people wanted to see Spider-Man dead and wouldn't warn anyone if his life was in danger nor would sound as distressed as this girl.

"Please" the girl said and Pepper made a decision.

"Ok, wait a minute".

She took the elevator up to the 60th floor or the Avengers floor how Tony called it. Pepper had no idea why he liked so much that place but, even after so many years, Tony Stark was a mystery to her sometimes. The doors opened and she saw his boyfriend on the couch, watching a movie.

"Hi, gorgeous" he said, grinning "Are you going to make me company?"

She rolled her eyes.

"No, Tony, I'm busy doing your work" She handed him the phone and said "There's a girl who wants to talk to you about Spider-Man. She says he's in danger".

Tony frowned. He clearly wasn't expecting that kind of call.

"Ok, thanks. Who is this?" he said to the cell phone.

"It doesn't matter who I am" she said. "The important thing is that Harry Osborn wants to kill Spider-Man. You have to help him, please".

"Ok, slow down. And how do you know that?"

"Harry Osborn framed Spider-Man. I don't know how but he did it. He wanted to make him look like a villain so he wouldn't have any allies. So he would be alone".

Tony could sense the despair in the girl's voice. She sounded truly honest and worried, almost on the verge of tears.

"Harry has told him to go to the docks" the girl continued. "He said he would hurt his...family if he didn't".

_So he was lying when he told Steve and Bruce that he didn't know Spider-Man's identity_ Tony thought.

"Please" the girl said. "You're my last chance. I know you don't believe me..."

"I believe you".

"Really?" the girl said, surprised.

"Really. I already had doubts but after listening to you...call it a hunch, but I believe your version more than Osborn's. I promise nothing bad will happen to Spider-Man".

"Thanks" the girl said though she still sounded worried.

Tony hung up and shouted:

"JARVIS, bring me my armor and call the Avengers. Tell them that if they're not here in five minutes, I'll kick their asses".

* * *

Peter swung swiftly from building to building, trying not to think about Gwen whom he had left devastated in her house. Right now he felt like the most horrible person in the world but he was doing this to protect her. _Besides_, he thought,_ I can win, I can end with Harry once and for all_. And how was he going to do that, exactly? Would he kill him? Peter had never crossed that line, never had wanted to, and he didn't know if he would be able to do it. But if it was the only way of protecting his loved ones, he would do it. Peter was sure of that.

He arrived at the docks and landed on the rooftop of one the warehouses. The docks were totally quiet and Peter could've believed they were deserted if his spider-sense hadn't been tingling so strongly. Suddenly, he heard a loud buzzing above his head. He looked up and saw the familiar figure of Harry Osborn, now dressed like the Green Goblin, flying with his skate and laughing like a mad man.

"I was wondering when you would come, Spider-Man. It took you long enough".

"Sorry, I had to get dressed. I didn't expect you to suddenly call me and threaten my family" Peter said sarcastically.

"I want my revenge, Peter. You betrayed me and now you're gonna pay for it!".

"I never wanted to hurt you, Harry. You were my friend".

"What kind of friend does what you did to me?"

"I didn't do anything to you!"

"You were gonna let me die!" Harry shouted. "But now I am stronger and faster. And I'm gonna kill you".

"Why are you so sure of that?"

"I have an advantage that you don't have" Harry said with a mischievous smile. "I'm not alone".

Peter's spider-sense was producing him a headache that was threatening with breaking his skull. He looked around and saw shadows moving between the buildings. _Well, I can't go back now_ Peter thought. _And I'm not gonna let Harry believe that I'm scared._

"Ok" he shouted. "Let's start the fight!"

* * *

**So here's a new chapter! The next one is going to be longer (you know, fight scenes and all that stuff) so it's going to take me a while to publish it. Be patient! Thanks to everyone who have favorited/followed/reviewed and if you've liked the chapter, leave a review. :-)**


	10. Chapter 10

"What's going on?" Steve asked when he arrived at the tower. He looked around and saw that the rest of the Avengers was already there.

"Don't ask us" Natasha said, who was sat on the couch beside Clint and Bruce "The little reunion is idea of the genius here".

In that moment Tony stood up and told them about his strange call.

"We need to help Spider-Man" he said when he finished.

"Maybe that girl was lying or she just didn't want to believe that Spider-Man has blown up Oscorp because she's one of his fans or something like that" Clint replied.

"Clint, I told all of you that I wasn't sure if Spider-Man had done that" Tony said. "Now I'm sure. He didn't do it. This is Osborn's plan to destroy Spider-Man".

"Why?" Clint asked, exasperated. "Why would he blow up his own building just to frame Spider-Man?"

"Because now the whole city is against him, including us" Bruce answered. "The other times were different. Spider-Man has always been the hero. People considered him an icon, the NYPD helped him and let him take care of the villains".

"Yeah, the only time when the police didn't support Spider-Man was when he fought against the Lizard" Tony said. "And he almost died because of the cops who tasered him and shot him".

Bruce nodded "Exactly. But now the roles are reversed: Harry Osborn is the victim and Spider-Man, the monster. No one will care if Osborn kills him. The truth is that Harry Osborn has set up Spider-Man and part of the fault is ours for having believed him".

Everybody stayed quiet for a few moments, thinking how much they had screwed it up. Then, Steve shouted:

"We are the Avengers! Nobody plays with us and we don't let anyone die. We made a mistake, but we are going to make things right. Understood?"

All of them nodded firmly, agreeing with every word that Steve had said. If Harry Osborn had done this, he was going to pay for it.

"Great" Steve said. "Now let's go to the docks".

* * *

Peter swung from building to building, chasing Harry through the docks. He threw various web balls at him but Harry dodged them easily. Then Harry turned left and Peter followed him. When he reached the corner his spider-sense tingled and he got down avoiding the Vulture who passed above his head.

"Did you miss me, little bug?"

"Not at all! And spiders are arachnids, you idiot".

The Vulture fired him darts from the tips of his wings. Peter dodged every one of them but then he was grabbed by a metallic arm and slammed to the floor. He looked up and saw the menacing figure of the Rhino smiling at him.

"Great" Peter said sarcastically. "The Rhino and the Vulture. Has the zoo come to the city and nobody told me?"

That wiped the smile form the Rhino's face who said:

"When I'm finished with you, you won't be able to say one of your smart-ass replies anymore".

The Rhino tried to punch Peter but he rolled to one side. Then the Vulture started shooting darts again. _He never runs out of ammo?_ Peter thought desperate. He shot a web ball to the Vulture's eyes leaving him blind and, while he managed to dodge another punch of the Rhino, he shot a strand of web to the Vulture's chest and slammed him in the wall, knocking him out. _That will keep him quiet for a while._ The Rhino charged towards him but Peter dodged and kicked him in the face. _This guy is very impulsive_ Peter thought. _If I enrage him, it'll be easier to defeat him._

"You know? I think you should've called yourself the Hippo. You're as slow as them".

The comment worked perfectly. The Rhino shouted "I'm gonna kill you, bug!" and launched at him without thinking twice about it. His spider-sense was screaming at him to get out of the way but Peter waited until the last moment to move. The Rhino crashed into the wall. He tried to get out but his horn was stuck in the wall. The Rhino grunting and trying to push with his hands while his head was stuck was one of the funniest images Peter had ever seen and he burst out laughing which cause the Rhino to swear and promise he was going to kill him again.

"Tell me something I haven't heard before" Peter replied.

As a precaution, he webbed the Rhino to the wall so he couldn't escape and then left swinging from building to building. Suddenly, Harry appeared flying. Peter was about to say a sarcastic remark about how his little goons hadn't been able to stop him when he saw someone else was on the skate with Harry. He froze when he saw who it was. Harry was holding his aunt by the arm. The woman looked terrified and was looking at Peter with pleading eyes, like Gwen when she had asked him not to go tonight.

"Let her go" Peter wanted to look threatening but his voice sounded scared.

"Why?" Harry asked with an evil grin "I think I can have fun with her, right Ms. Parker?"

"I'm not going to have any fun with you, Osborn" May Parker said with a surprisingly firm tone.

"We'll see about that. Maybe I'll just kill you".

"No!" Peter shouted. "Harry this is between you and me. She has nothing to do with this".

"Yes, she has. I want to hurt you as much as I can. Do you want your aunt? Then come and get me".

Harry took off flying and Peter shot a strand of web at the rooftop of a nearby building but suddenly someone jumped from another place and cut off his web-line. Peter looked at his opponent. He had a blade in each hand and looked like he had just come out of the jungle with a jacket made of lion's skin and trousers made of the same material. In another situation, Peter would've made a joke about his ridiculous outfit but in that moment he was too desperate so all he said was:

"Get out of my way!"

"No way, Spider-Man. A hunter never lets his prey escape".

"A hunter? Really? You look more like Tarzan's step-brother".

"You're not going to enrage me with your comments like you did with that idiot. Prepare to die".

Peter sighed. He had to get Harry before he hurt his aunt. He didn't have time for that! _If something happens to her..._ Peter couldn't finish the thought because Kraven launched at him. Peter dodged and shot web balls at him but the hunter slashed them with the blades and tried to kick Peter in the stomach. Peter took a step back, grabbed Kraven's right arm and twisted it so that the hunter had to drop the blade. However, Kraven managed to stab him in the leg with the other blade causing Peter to let out a cry of pain. Kraven took advantage of the moment to kick him in the the chest and Peter fell to the floor. The hunter grabbed a large sword from his belt and raised it, eager to kill him, but Peter rolled to one side and shot a web ball at the weapon, sending it away. He kicked Kraven in the stomach with his good leg and the hunter stumbled. Peter got up swiftly, ignoring the pain in his right leg, and punched him in the face. Kraven fell to the ground and Peter aimed his web-shooters at him, ready to web him, when his spider-sense tingled. He looked up and saw the Vulture throwing darts at him. But they weren't darts, they were explosives. Peter tried to dodge them but the wound of his leg had made him slower and, before he could react, a grenade exploded just in front of him. He crashed against the wall of a warehouse and felt blood dripping from his forehead. He got up but a wave of dizziness made him fall to his knees. Then the Rhino took him by the neck and started squeezing until black dots appeared in his vision. _My aunt_... Peter thought I have to save her. But he was too weak and couldn't get free from the Rhino's grip. He knew he was going to lose consciousness in any moment and that would be his end. I'_m sorry aunt May_ Peter thought and was glad that the mask could hide the tears.

"Stop!"

Harry landed on the ground with his aunt and said firmly:

"I'm gonna be the one who kills him".

The Rhino dropped Peter reluctantly. The hero lay on the ground panting and fighting to be conscious. Even drawing breath was turning into an impossible task because of his swelled throat. He looked at his aunt, wanting to help her but unable to move and frustrated by it. Suddenly, his aunt's body changed into a male body with the face as white as a dead. _Ok, I'm suffering hallucinations_ Peter thought.

"You're not imagining anything" Harry said as if he had read Peter's mind. "This is the Chamaleon. His powers are very interesting. He can imitate anyone".

"That's how you did it" Peter managed to say with a hoarse voice.

"The Oscorp explosion? Yes, this is how I did it". Harry said with a grin.

Peter just felt an immense relief. That meant that Harry hadn't kidnapped his aunt. That's the only comfort he had left. He knew he was going to die there, he couldn't defeat five people in his state. But at least his family was safe and that was what mattered. Harry knelt beside him and said:

"You're the villain now, Spider-Man. You'll be remembered as a murderer. And the best thing is that I'm going to kill you and get my revenge for your betrayal".

_That hurts_ Peter thought. He had become Spider-Man to help people, not to be remembered as a monster who killed innocent people. The worst thing was that the real culprit would never be discovered. Harry got up and pointed at him with a weapon. Peter almost laughed when he saw it was a machine gun like the one that the guards in Oscorp had used. That felt like another life.

"Last words, Peter?" Harry asked.

Peter just closed his eyes, hoping that everything would be over soon.

* * *

**A/N: I know I'm a bad person for leaving you like this. Really, I always have a hard time writing fight scenes but I've tried to do it as best as possible. Apologizes for the mistakes, anyway. Thanks everyone who have favorited/followed/reviewed. 50 follows, I almost don't believe it! And if you've liked the chapter, leave a review!**

**Answering to a review from a guest: Harry Osborn framed Spider-Man so that he would have the city against him and no one would support him. I've tried to explain everything clearer in the conversation betweeen the Avengers. And maybe Nick Fury knew Peter's parents or not. I don't know if I'm gonna include that or not, though probably I will.**


	11. Chapter 11

Harry Osborn smiled. Finally his revenge was going to be completed. Seeing Spider-Man lying on the ground, completely defeated, was the best moment of his life. He aimed and...

"What's that?" the Rhino asked.

Harry almost shot the Rhino. How dared he interrupt this moment? He turned and realized that his allies were looking up. Following their gaze, he saw something in the air coming towards them. _Whatever it is, I'm going to destroy it_ Harry thought enraged. He shot at the flying object that dodged the blast and got closer at an incredible speed, landing on the ground with a thud.

"So much for a reformed villain" Iron-Man said.

"What are you doing here, Stark?" Harry snarled.

"I was bored and I wanted someone to talk to, what do you think?" Tony said sarcastically. "I know you're the one who blew up Oscorp".

"I don't know what you're talking about. Spider-Man blew up Oscorp, everyone saw him. And I remind you that we're talking about my building. It doesn't make any sense that I attacked my own company".

"You wanted to frame Spider-Man at all costs to get your revenge. And it's obvious you were about to get it" he said, pointing at Spider-Man who was still slumped on the floor. Tony was worried about him and the guilt was eating him alive but he needed to push those feelings aside and keep calm.

"I just wanted to make sure he didn't hurt New York City citizens anymore" Harry replied angrily. "I tried to leave it up to you and your Avengers but since you weren't able to capture him I decided to take care of the business".

"How? Killing him? Wow, Osborn, you should be given a medal".

Harry opened his mouth to speak but Tony interrupted him:

"Just stop it" Tony grimaced beneath his mask when he realized he had said the same thing to Spider-Man just last night. _How ironic._ "Give up, Osborn. I'm not going to repeat it twice".

"And what if I don't? You're outnumbered, Stark. Not even the great Iron-Man can defeat five people, especially if one of those people is me".

_Great, a villain with ego. Just what I needed_ Tony thought. The rest of the Avengers had taken a jet but Tony had got there first. He just couldn't wait and here were the consequences. _Oh, well_ he thought shrugging, _this has never stopped me before_. He shot various blasts of energy at the Green Goblin who took off flying and started shooting with the machine gun. Iron-Man dodged the shots easily and flied at Harry's direction. Tony was about to catch him but then someone started to throw explosives at him though none of them made even a scratch to his armor. He looked at the Vulture, annoyed, and shot him. The blast hit the villain and the Vulture fell to the floor. Taking advantage of the distraction, Harry aimed and fired. Tony couldn't dodge it in time and he ended up crashing into the wall._ I really hate that damn weapo_n he thought while he got up. He was going to shoot at Harry again when he saw the Rhino beside the unconscious Spider-Man raising his arm and ready to kill the wall-crawler. Iron-Man launched at the villain, punched him in the face and slammed him into the floor with so much force that the floor cracked. _I can't protect Spider-Man and capture these guys at the same time._ He needed backup immediately.

Luckily, in that moment Clint's voice came from the earphone which Tony used to talk to the rest of his group:

"Tony, we're already here. Ready to take these idiots down".

Tony released a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

"Great. Because I need a little of help over here".

"That would've happened if you had waited for us" Natasha replied.

"Sorry. Next time I'll let them kill Spider-Man" Tony said sarcastically.

The Rhino got up and lunched at him again. _I have to know what that armor is made o_f Tony thought. He was going to shoot him when Captain America appeared and threw his shield at the Rhino.

"Hey, that one was mine!" Tony complained.

"Don't be childish! I'll take of him. Go get Osborn".

Tony nodded and took off flying. He looked around and saw Harry leaving the docks._ Not so fast_ Tony thought with a smile. He shot various blasts at the villain and watched with satisfaction how one of them hit Harry in the back and made him lose his balance and fall off the glider. He landed in front of Harry and said:

"You're gonna give up now? If you don't I can keep beating the crap out of you".

"You wouldn't think I didn't have a plan B, would you?"

Before Tony could ask him what he meant, something struck him in the chest and sent him flying backwards knocking the breath out of him. Time seemed to go slower and Tony was surprised to see that the ,blast? shot? he didn't really what it had been, had destroyed the armor where it had hit him. He was even more surprised when he felt the water around him. After a moment of thinking (clearly he had been hit harder than what he expected) he realized that he had fallen into the water and was sinking. And also suffocating because he hadn't had time to catch his breath. The armor was making him sink faster so he retracted it. Then, he let out a gasp even though he knew that wasn't going to help his situation at all. He hadn't felt it before thanks to his armor but now he realized that the water was cold. Very cold. _Of course it's cold you idiot_ the functional part of his brain told him. _It's January, what did you expect? Now move before you drown here._ Tony decided to listen and started to move his arms and legs quickly. He had sunk deeply and the surface didn't look any closer. Besides, he was running out of breath and could feel his heart beating very fast. _I'm not going to make it _he thought desperately. But then he felt the cool breeze in his face. He swam and, when he reached the shore, lay on the floor panting and shivering. Needless to say, Harry Osborn was nowhere to be seen. _I'm really looking forward to killing that bastard._

* * *

The Vulture flied as fast as he could. This was supposed to be an easy mission. They would kill Spider-Man and then he would be totally free to rob every bank of the city. The Avengers were not supposed to come! Luckily the heroes were busy taking care of the Green Goblin so maybe he could escape. Suddenly he heard noises below him. He looked down and saw Kraven fighting against a red-headed woman. And he was having troubles, seeing his bloody nose and how he was slightly hunched._ The great hunter_ the Vulture thought rolling his eyes. If the situation was different he would let Kraven fight the woman alone but he knew he was going to need all the allies possible if he wanted to defeat not only Spider-Man but also the Avengers. He threw his explosive darts at the woman who ducked and hid behind a warehouse. Kraven grabbed a gun from his belt and walked towards the warehouse. _I give him the perfect opportunity to run away and he ruins it_ the Vulture thoughta angrily.

"Kraven, you idiot!" he shouted. "Leave her. There will be other times to kill her".

Kraven let out a grunt of frustration but listened to his partner and ran away, with the Vulture following him. Natasha got up and chased them but Kraven was faster than her.

"Clint, they're heading your way" she told the bowman.

"Ok, I'm ready".

Natasha kept running, hoping to catch them. That's when she saw a figure close to the water.

Meanwhile, the Vulture could see the end of the docks. They were gonna make it.

"Vulture, watch out!" Kraven shouted.

He turned but it was too late. An arrow pierced through his leg, making him cry out. He looked down and saw a man on the rooftop of a building, pointing at him with a bow. _A bow, really? We're in the Middle Ages now?_ The Vulture saw him tensing the bow to shoot again so he threw the explosives at him. The bowman jumped from the building before it collapsed and fired another arrow at him. That time, the Vulture could dodge it. The end of the docks was closer and closer but the bowman was still chasing them. _Damn it_ he thought angrily. Then suddenly, the bowman stopped and put his hand to his ear, like he had an earphone there:

"Tony is where?" he said, surprised "I thought his armor was waterproof! Yeah, I'm already going, Natasha".

* * *

Captain America was having a hard time fighting the Rhino. His armor was really thick (courtesy of Oscorp technology probably) so it protected him from the blows of his shield. He finally decided to strap his shield on his arm and use hand to hand combat. He punched the Rhino in the face who stumbled and Captain America took advantage of the moment kicking him in the stomach, but as he had guessed, Steve's blows didn't have any effect in the Rhino's body thanks to his armor. The only vulnerable part was his face. Steve tried to punch him again but the Rhino blocked the attack with his arm and then punched Captain America in the chest. The hero doubled up, sure that he had at least a couple of bruised ribs. Then he straighened up just to receive another punch of the Rhino, this time in the face. He fell to the ground and the villain raised his leg to kick him but Steve stopped him with the shield. He threw the shield at him, causing the Rhino to stagger. Steve got up quickly thinking he had to end the fight soon but how? He couldn't hurt him. Suddenly a web ball covered the Rhino's eyes. The villain tried to remove it without success and Steve took advantage of his blindness to punch him twice, knocking him unconscious. _Finally!_ Steve thought. He turned around and saw Spider-Man standing on one knee with his arm aimed at the Rhino.

"Thanks" Steve said.

"Yeah, well. I didn't do it for you".

Steve grimaced. It looked like Spider-Man was angry with them. _And he has good reasons for it_ he thought. In that moment Natasha and Clint came in holding a wet Tony.

"What happened to you?" Steve asked him.

"That bastard of Osborn threw me into the water" Tony was stuttering so badly that it took him almost a minute saying that.

"What about the others villains?" Steve asked.

"We chased a guy wearing lion's skins and another one with wings in the warehouses but then we saw him" Natasha said pointing at Tony "lying on the floor and had to help him".

"Drowning is not a activity I enjoy, you know?"

"At least I hit the guy with the wings in the leg" Clint said.

"His name is the Vulture and the jungle guy is Draven or Kraven or something like that" Peter explained. "I'm curious, how did you find me?"

"Your girlfriend called me" Tony said. "Well, she didn't tell me she was your girlfriend specifically but it was kind of obvious".

Peter was, for once, speechless. Gwen had called Tony Stark asking him for help? Really? Well, he shouldn't be really surprised, Gwen wasn't the kind of person that did nothing when disasters happened. _At least she didn't try to kick Harry's ass by herself _he thought relieved.

"So, she's your girlfriend?" Tony asked interested.

"I'm not answering that question".

"So she is, then".

"Look, asshole..."

Steve cut both of them off before they could get into an argument and said:

"How are you feeling, Spider-Man?"

"Like I've been beaten up by five lunatics".

"You should come with us. We have a doctor who can heal you at the tower".

"I heal fast. I don't need help".

Actually, Peter didn't want their help. The Avengers had helped him that night but the previous one they had beaten him up. But what hurt him the most was that they hadn't believed he was innocent. Two years saving the city as Spider-Man and they didn't even think it twice before attacking him. He had right to be angry, didn't he?

He got up but felt dizzy and he would've fallen if Natasha hadn't grabbed him by his arm.

"No matter how fast you heal, you're not going to get nowhere with this leg" she said.

He looked down and frowned when he saw that his leg was still bleeding. It should've stopped by now. _The cut must be deep_ he thought. He sighed, it was true that he wasn't going to go very far like this. And, though Gwen helped him with his bruises sometimes, she wasn't a nurse and he didn't want to bleed out on her bed. But these same people tried to capture him not so long ago. He couldn't trust them.

"We promise we'll respect your privacy and won't ask you to take off your mask" Steve said.

_You know what? I'm too tired to argue_ Peter thought.

"Ok, I'll go with you".

* * *

**A/N: And here's the chapter. I know some people thought that the Avengers would discover Spider-Man's identity in this chapter but I've decided to wait a little longer. You know, to keep the intrigue. I know when I want it to happen but it's not now. Thanks to everyone who have reviewed/ followed/favorited and if you've liked this chapter, leave a review. :-)**


	12. Chapter 12

"I could've gone swinging" Peter complained.

"You're not in condition to go swinging anywhere" Natasha replied firmly.

Peter was sure he could've arrived at the tower on his own without crashing against a streetlight. Well, almost sure. But this was also ok. The jet was very comfortable (not that he was going to admit that out loud). He hissed when Natasha put pression on the wound in his leg with a cloth.

"See?" Natasha said. "This proves my point".

The red-headed tied the improvised bandage and asked Steve who was in the seat next to Peter:

"Bruce is at the tower, right?"

"Yeah, I already called him".

"That Bruce is your doctor?" Peter asked.

"Doctor, scientist and emergency resource in fights" Clint explained.

Peter frowned at the last part but decided not to ask more. The jet landed on the rooftop of the tower where Tony was already waiting for them.

"I think you like getting to places fast just to show off" Clint said.

"Of course. That's one of the purposes of my armor" Tony answered with that I-know-everything grin that made Peter (and the rest of the Avengers) want to punch him in the face.

Peter got up, took one step...and had to stop because of the pain. He cursed mentally Harry Osborn, his ridiculous allies and their entire family.

"Let me give you a hand" Steve said.

Peter was grateful that the mask could hide his blushing. Because it was very embarrasing having to lean on Steve Rodgers aka Captain America aka the most famous superhero of the world. They took the elevator to a big room that looked like part of a hospital. There were hospital beds at each side of the room and a couple of shelves and a closet in the corner with lots of medical supplies.

"This is where we are patched up after a tough fight" Tony explained.

"You are really well equipped, guys" Peter said. He really envied the Avengers in that moment. They had a mini-hospital while he had to get by with the first-aid kid he had in his bathroom.

"Technically, _I_ am well equipped since the building is mine"

"There's no need of boring Spider-Man with your ego, Tony".

This was said by a man with a white coat. Peter hadn't even noticed he was there. Upon looking him closer he realized the doctor's face sounded familiar. _Where have I seen him before?_ he thought.

"Hi, I'm Bruce Banner".

Peter almost facepalmed. It was the scientist he had talked with in Dr. Barrimore's laboratory. He recalled Bruce telling him that he worked with Tony Stark. Now he had to pretend he didn't know him. Having a double life was very frustrating sometimes.

"I'd say nice to meet you but in these circumstances..." Peter replied.

"Yeah, I can imagine. Sit down and I'll take a look at your leg. All of you, out" Bruce said pointing at the Avengers.

The team started to protest almost immediately but Steve cut them off.

"C'mon, you've heard the doctor. Let's go".

"Yeah, if we don't go he could smash something" Tony said with a smile.

Bruce glared at him but Tony was already gone before the scientist was able to reply and the rest of the team followed him. When they left, Peter let out a sigh of relief. He preferred to have some privacy, especially if the process was going to be painful. He didn't need Tony Stark mocking him. Bruce untied the bandage and examined the wound with a flashlight.

"I see the problem. You have a piece of something metallic inside".

"That's why it hasn't healed yet".

"You have a healing factor?".

_Oops. I shouldn't have said that. _Peter thought_._ _Usually I'm not so careless. Probably it's because of the tiredness. Or the blood loss._

"Yeah, more or less" he replied. "But it's gonna take me a while recovering from this".

Bruce picked up a pair of tweezers and Peter had to bit his tongue during the process to not let out a cry of pain. Luckily Bruce was already used to heal those kinds of wounds so the metallic piece was removed quickly. When he was finished, the scientist cleaned the wound and started bandaging the leg.

"Can I ask you something?" he suddenly said. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to".

"Since you put it like that...ok".

"Why does Harry Osborn hate you so much?"

"I put him in prison, none of the villains I've defeated likes me".

Bruce knew he was lying so he shouldn't press. But he was curious. Spider-Man was a mystery, not even SHIELD knew his identity.

"Usually, villains want to kill you but Harry wants to destroy you too".

"Tell me about it" Peter huffed and then sighed "We were childhood friends. Then his father sent him to a boarding school and I didn't see him again until he came back to the city when his father died. He asked me to...do something and I refused. He didn't take it well, thought I had betrayed him".

"Did you do it?"

"Betray him? I'm not even sure anymore. Sometimes I think that if I had said yes, things would be different now".

Bruce gave him a sympathetic smile. He had had doubts how Spider-Man would be. Sure, he was a hero and has captured a lot of criminals but he also looked arrogant, webbing thugs to streetlights and mocking them. Now he was surprised to find out that he felt sorry for the wall crawler. The Green Goblin had tried to kill him and destroy his reputation and still the Spider-Man felt badly for his former friend.

"You shouldn't feel guilty" Bruce said. "I don't know if you betrayed Osborn or not but that's not an excuse for what he has done. Turning into a villain was his decision".

Peter grinned beneath his mask. He liked Bruce. He was calm and had a contagious inner peace. Actually he felt a little better after the talk.

"You are very good giving advices. I think you should be a psychologist instead of a scientist".

Bruce burst out laughing. "I'd be terrible. I would end up losing my temper and trust me, you don't want to see that. This is finished".

"Thanks doc" Peter said

"Are you hurt somewhere else?"

"No" he lied. His entire body hurt but he just wanted to go home and forget that horrible day. He sat up and, much to his dismay, he winced.

"So you're not hurt, right?" Bruce said with a smile.

"Ok, you caught me but I'm tired. I wanna go home".

_Oh, great. I just whined_ Peter thought._ How old am I? Three?_ Bruce laughed, thinking that Spider-Man sounded like Tony when an experiment didn't have the results he wanted.

"C'mon. It will take a few minutes. Lift up your shirt".

"Without buying me dinner first, doc?"

"Really? I thought you were more original Spider-Man".

"Cut me some slack. It's been a bad day".

Peter complied and lifted up the shirt of his suit. Bruce gasped when he saw the black bruises that covered the hero's body.

"It must be very impressive if the Avengers' doctor has gasped".

"Yeah and it has to hurt a lot. You should've told me before".

Peter shrugged and immediately regretted it.

"Well, it's a secondary effect of the Rhino slamming me into the floor. Repeatedly. And your friends also contributed" Peter said the last sentence bitterly even though it hadn't been his intention.

"I'm sorry".

"You don't have to apologise. You weren't in the fight".

That was true but he also had thought that Spider-Man had blown up Oscorp and hadn't tried to stop the rest of the Avengers so he did feel a bit guilty. He bandaged Spider-Man's chest. When he was finished the wall crawler looked down and said:

"I look like the Mommy".

"Don't exaggerate. And don't even think of going on patrol tomorrow".

"Did you forget the part where I said that I heal fast?"

"It's biologically impossible this is completely healed by tomorrow. If I find out you've been swinging through the city, I'll send the Avengers after you. Ok?"

Peter opened his mouth to protest but then the doors opened and Tony came in.

"Listen to Bruce, web-head. It's better not to argue with him".

"Tony, I told you to stay outside".

"You're already finished. And this is my house, I can wherever I want to".

"So what's going to happen now?" Peter asked him. "I'm not going to take off my mask".

"Don't worry. We promised you you wouldn't have to do it if you didn't want to. Do you want to?"

"No" Peter answered abruptly. Just a few days ago he had had a different opinion but after what had happened... He couldn't trust the Avengers. Not for the moment, at least.

"I had to ask. So what do you prefer, the good news or the bad news?"

"The good ones. I'm done with the bad news".

"The good news is that we're going to tell Fury that you're innocent so SHIELD won't be after you anymore".

"And the bad news?"

"The NYPD".

Peter groaned.

"What happens with them?"

"We don't have any real proof that you didn't blow up Oscorp and kill those people so the NYPD is keeping the arrest warrant. At least that's what Captain Jefferson just told me by then phone. Actually, _shouted_ would be a more appropiate term".

"But SHIELD can arrest Harry, right?" Peter said with a confidence he didn't really feel.

"We'll talk to Fury about it" Tony said. "But I don't really know".

"Ok, you know what?" Peter said getting up "I'm going home. It's been a long night and I just want to sleep".

"And call your girlfriend, I guess" Tony said with a grin.

Peter felt himself blushing. "That's none of your business!"

"I was...

"Tony" Bruce interrupted "Spider-Man is right. That's none of your business".

"Spoilsport" Tony grunted then he said to Peter "We can take you to your house, if you want".

"So you can know where I live? Not a chance".

"I had to tried it" Tony said shrugging.

"Are you sure you're ready to go home?" Bruce asked. "Do you feel dizzy?"

"I'm fine" Peter answered awkwardly. He wasn't used to people being concerned about him. Bruce raised an eyebrow and Peter added "As fine as I can be, at least. I'm not going to crash into a building".

"Look, if someday you have serious wounds or you need to get patched up, you can come here" Bruce offered. "Healing factor or not".

"And we will help you to take down Osborn" Tony assured him. "We're not going to let that bastard and his freaky friends walk free".

"Ok, thanks".

Peter shot his webs and left. While he swung from building to building he thought he may not trust the Avengers yet but tonight was a step in the right direction.

* * *

Harry threw a chair at the wall. He was furious. His plan was perfect and Spider-Man should be dead. But the damned Avengers had to destroy everything and ruin his plan. Now he knew what he had to do: to get rid of Spider-Man, he had to get rid of the distractions (aka the Avengers), first. He picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Baron Von Strucker? It's Harry Osborn. I'm ready to pay my debt. I'm ready to start the HAMMER project".

* * *

**A/N: If you have read Dark Reign comics you know what HAMMER is. If not, you'll find out soon. There are going to be differences but the basic concept is the same. **

**+60 follows! I almost don't believe it. I've never had so many followers in a fic. Thanks a lot for your support, guys. You're awesome! I know I always say this (you can call me repetitive if you want) but if you've liked the chapter, leave a review :-)**


	13. Chapter 13

These last weeks, Tony had been in Fury's office too many times for his liking. And each of those times Fury had been angry. No, scratch that. He had been furious. And today didn't look any different.

"I almost couldn't cover up the incident at the docks. I had to bribe a lot of workers so they don't tell the press that the Avengers left the docks as if it was WWII all over again".

"They're overreacting" Tony said. "And we weren't the ones destroying the warehouses".

Fury glared at Tony and shouted:

"Then, what the hell happened?"

Steve told him everything about their fight against Harry Osborn and his allies. When he was finished, Fury looked more exhausted than angry which was even worse, in Tony's opinion.

"So you're telling me Harry Osborn blew up his own building and killed those people to frame Spider-Man?"

"Yes. He was helped by a man who calls himself the Chamaleon" Natasha said. "He can imitate the voice and appearance of other people".

"Did you capture him?"

"No, we didn't" Steve said regretfully. "Everyone escaped except the Rhino".

"Who is locked up in my basement and some of my employers are complaining about the shouts". Tony intervened. "Can you pick him up and lock him in one of your insonorized cells?"

"Sure. I'll send some agents later".

"And another question" Tony said with a smile "When are we going to arrest Osborn?"

Fury's face told him everything he needed to know:

"Really?" he shouted "You have to be kidding me! That guy is a murderer!"

"But we don't have any proof of that" Fury answered calmly.

"That never stopped you before" Tony said.

"This situation is different. Harry Osborn is a public figure and we can't arrest him without justification. SHIELD is now a public organization and people don't appreciate us too much".

"Of course they don't. SHIELD is like the CIA or the NSA. They are made to be hated" Tony said as if this was the most obvious fact of the world.

"Thanks for the compliment, Tony" Fury replied. "The point is that we can't make any mistake. The world security council is already watching us closely".

"I don't care about the world security council!"

Tony looked around and saw that everyone was looking at him surprised. Without realizing it, he had stood up and had banged his fists on the table. I_f Fury can do it, why can't I?_ he thought.

"When are you gonna do it?" he continued "After Osborn suffers another of his crisis and destroys the city? Or after Spider-Man appears dead in an alley? Then, people are going to have true reasons to hate SHIELD, including me".

"I'm sorry, Tony" Nick apologised looking away.

"Fine, but I'm not going to twiddle my thumbs while that lunatic is out there".

Tony stormed out of the office. There were moments of uncomfortable silence after that until Steve said:

"Fury, I know you are following orders. Trust me, no one understands it better than I do. But you can't expect us to stand aside".

Fury laughed and said:

"I knew you would say that. But I'm curious about something: this is not the first lunatic you have to deal with but Tony has never gotten so angry".

"This is different" Natasha said.

"Why?"

Steve answered the question though he thought Fury already knew what he was going to say.

"Because we owe Spider-Man. He shouldn't fight this alone and we can't let people think he's a villain when all he's trying to do is to help people and make New York safer".

"You feel guilty" Fury said it as a statement, not a question.

"Don't you?" Clint asked defiantly.

Fury grimaced. He also wanted to imprison Osborn and make him pay for his crimes. But his hands were tied. He wasn't a superhero, he was the director of SHIELD and had to care for the interests of the organization, even if he had to ignore his own wishes. He just hoped the Avengers could do what he couldn't because, honestly, he did feel guilty. Maybe they shouldn't have jumped to conclusions when they watched the video. Maybe, instead, they should have thought it was weird that a hero like Spider-Man did something so horrible.

"Do what you need to" Fury said.

All of the Avengers nodded and left the room. Fury got up and looked through the window. He could see the damned Oscorp tower glittering in the distance.

* * *

Peter looked at the book. _C'mon Parker, you can do this. Just focus_ he thought. No, impossible. He was too tired to study so he threw the book at the other side of the room and lay on the bed. He had been exhausted the entire day, his body was sore and he couldn't take three steps without hurting somewhere. He had told his aunt he was sick so he didn't have to go to the high school. And he felt sick, that much was true.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps and his aunt saying:

"He's resting in his bedroom. He has caught the flu. I've told him a lot of times he should wear a coat. The weather is so cold at this time of the year, but he never listens to me!"

Peter felt himself blushing._ Please God, tell me she's not talking to Gwen._ There was a knock at the door and Gwen's voice said:

"Hi, Peter! Your aunt told me you're sick. Mind if I come in?"

"Yeah, sure".

When Gwen came in, she closed the door and giggled:

"You're so cute when you blush".

Peter groaned. This couldn't get more embarrassing.

"How are you feeling?" Gwen asked, sitting on the bed.

"I'm fine, don't worry".

His girlfriend frowned and said:

"I'll ask again. How are you really feeling?"

"As if I had fought five idiots yesterday. But I'll survive thanks to you".

"I didn't do anything".

"If you hadn't called Tony Stark, I would be dead".

"That means you get along with the Avengers now?"

"More or less".

Gwen looked down and licked her lips, nervous.

"So... I have to tell you something. Don't get angry".

"What have you done, Gwen?"

"While you were at the docks, I snuck into Oscorp".

"What? Gwen, do you have any idea of what would've happened if you had been caught?"

"You promised you wouldn't get angry!"

"I didn't promise anything! That was dangerous and reckless!"

"Because you never do anything reckless, right?"

"That's different! I have powers".

"But you are not immortal. I also want to take Harry down and I'm not gonna let you do it alone!".

"I don't want anything to happen to you".

"I know, Peter. But like I told you yesterday, I'm not so fragile. I can take of myself, ok?"

Peter sighed. If there was a person more stubborn than him, that was Gwen.

"Ok" he said. "Did you get something?"

Gwen's brilliant smile told him everything he needed to know.

"I couldn't find out anything about Harry's plans, but I found this".

She took a red binder from her bag and gave it to Peter. He opened it and looked at the documents. There were designs that showed how the Vulture's wings and the Rhino's armor worked.

"With this, I can defeat both of them". Peter said. It was the best news he had received in a lot of time.

"There are more pages, Peter".

Peter looked at the last pages and his jaw dropped. A detailed design of the Green Goblin's suit and glider.

"I didn't find anything about Kraven nor the Chamaeleon probably because their abilities are natural and they didn't need Harry's help" Gwen said sadly.

"Who cares? This is more than enough!" Peter replied."With this, I can figure out the way of taking them down".

He kissed Gwen, forgetting that he had been angry with her just a few minutes ago. When the moment ended, both of them were grinning. Gwen thought it had been worth to go through all that trouble just to see Peter smile.

* * *

A woman walked swiftly through the hallway. She had blue eyes and brown hair and wore a blue suit with the logo of SHIELD decorating the jacket. The other agents looked at her with respect which showed she occupied a high position. He turned the corner and stopped in front of a door made of steel. She bent over a little device next to the door that scanned her eyes.

"Retinal scanner completed. Welcome, Maria Hill".

The door opened automatically. The room was filled with monitors and, in the back of it, a big computer. She used an inhibitor to disconnect the cameras. After that, she inserted a flash drive in the computer and wrote the password that appeared on the screen. While she waited, she decided to relax. The only two people allowed to come into the room were Nick Fury and her. And Fury was having a reunion with the Avengers. She closed her eyes and felt how her features changed into a male body with a face as white as a dead. The Chamaleon grinned. _This is so easy..._ Maria Hill was the perfect identity to break into SHIELD. She had access to all of the archives. Archives that he was copying into the flash-drive at that moment. That was going to be the ultimate blow to SHIELD. He didn't really care about the organization but no one had ever paid him like Harry Osborn. As long as he had the money, he would do whatever it was necessary. _I'll be rich by the time this ends_, he thought with a smile. When the archives were copied, he got up and took out the flash-drive. He was about to leave when a thought struck him. I almost forget it. He turned and inserted the order to open the Rhino's cell in the computer. Then he turned around and opened the door with the appearance of Maria Hill. Nobody stopped him when he left the Helicarrier.

* * *

**A/N: Here's a new chapter! I took the idea for the second scene (Gwen sneaking into Oscorp) from Batman111893. I didn't put that she found proofs of Harry's plan because I have planned something different.**

**Answering to a review from TBD: I used dashes in the first chapters because I like it more that way but I changed them later because people told me the quotes were less confusing than the dashes. I haven't changed the first chapters, though, because I haven't had time. And I hadn't even realized I've written Clinton instead of Clint! I saw it when I re-read the second chapter. Well, I had no particular reason, it came out like that (my mind is a strange place XD). Now I just use Clint.**

**Thanks to everyone who has favorited/followed/reviewed. Really, I can't believe I have +70 followers. I'm sooo happy... I'm a review addict, so if you've liked the chapter, leave one.**


	14. Chapter 14

Peter had been working the entire afternoon. He was glad he had put bolts in his door because if his aunt could came in and see he wasn't doing his homework... Well, let's say she wouldn't be happy. He had been trying to makea device to defeat his enemies. The documents Gwen had stolen were hung on the wall and the desk was full of metallic pieces and tools. For the moment he had the device he would use against the Vulture. It had one little inconvenient but he could fix it with time. Time he wasn't sure he had. Harry could decide to get his revenge whenever he wanted to. Peter was surprised he hadn't tried it already. He supposed the villain was afraid of the Avengers appearing again to ruin his plans.

Peter didn't know what to think about the Avengers. They were heroes and had saved the world, that was clear. But it hurt that they didn't believe him when he told them he was innocent. He knew he was being ridiculous. If it wasn't for the Avengers, Harry would have killed him at the docks. But after everything he had done as Spider-Man, Peter had expected the benefit of the doubt when he told them the truth. He just couldn't forget it. Not yet, at least. Then his cell phone rang, interrupting his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"Peter, it's Gwen. Are you at home?" .

"Yes, I am working in the devices I told you about".

"You should turn on the TV".

"Why?"

"Just do it".

Peter went downstairs and did as his girlfriend told him. The blonde presenter appeared on the screen, saying:

"The leak of the private files of SHIELD is the news of the day. It is not known who is the responsible but the discovering of these documents is going to have serious consequences for the organization. The information indicates that SHIELD has violated the security of not just American citizens but also people all over the world. A clear proof of this is the project Insight which was designed to predict and eliminate threats before they can happen by using upgraded Helicarriers linked to the targeting satellites. To do this, SHIELD had developed an algorithm which used the data available about people online to analyze and predict their behavior, violating their privacy and freedom".

Peter was speechless. At that moment, he was very happy he hadn't told SHIELD his identity. Clearly, these people had a big problem with the confidentiality.

"Peter, you're still there?"

Peter flinched. He had been so stunned he had forgotten about Gwen completely.

"Yeah, I'm here. This is... unexpected".

"So much for the secret organization".

"Tell me about it".

"Do you think Harry was involved in this?"

"Harry?" Peter hadn't thought about it. _Which proves that my girlfriend is smarter than me._ "I don't know. An organization like SHIELD had a lot of enemies".

_But none of those enemies can imitate someone's appearance_ he thought.

"Maybe" he continued with doubt in his voice. "But I really hope it wasn't him. That means he's up to something really awful".

"Don't worry. Like you said, SHIELD has a lot of enemies, it could have been anyone" Gwen assured him.

"Yes, you're right'.

But the feeling of unease he felt was just growing. _This doesn't mean anything_ he thought firmly. Maybe if he repeated it with enough energy, he would end up believing it.

* * *

Things were very quiet at the Stark Tower. Everybody was reunited in the living room watching the news in silence because they didn't know what to say, not even Tony Stark. When the news ended, there were more moments of silence until Bruce said:

"How did this happen?"

"No idea" Steve answered. "I've been trying to reach Fury since all of this started but it's impossible".

Then Tony stood up and said:

"Jarvis! Call Fury, hack every security measure if it's necessary but I want talk to that wanna-be pirate right now!"

"Why are you so angry, Tony?" Natasha asked, surprised by his behavior. "Clint and I are the ones who should be worried. We're SHIELD agents, after all".

"And our whole expedient is now available on the Internet. You just have to put Clint Barton on Google, I've already checked it. How am I gonna work as a sniper if everyone recognizes me?"

"I have my reasons to be angry!"

"Great, but until Fury answers the phone, could you stop shouting?!" Clint said.

"You're shouting too!" Tony replied.

"Because I'm stressed and your shouts make me even more stressed!"

"Enough!" Steve said with his I'm-the-leader voice "I know this is a difficult situation, but losing our nerves is not going to help".

"I need a drink" Tony murmured and walked towards the kitchen.

"Bring me one too" Natasha said.

"And I also want one" Clint said.

"I'm not a bartender" Tony complained and then sighed. "OK. Three drinks".

"Mr. Stark, Nick Fury is waiting on the line" Jarvis informed.

"Put him on the screen".

Nick Fury's face appeared on the screen that had been used as a TV a few moments ago. Even though he maintained his stern expression, he looked tired and the dark circles under his eyes were proof of that.

"What do you want, Stark? And make it quick, I'm busy".

"Two months ago, you asked me for help to build some helicarriers".

Fury cut Tony off and said:

"I already know what you're going to ask me. And the answer is yes: those helicarriers were a part of the project Insight".

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you would have said no".

"Of course I would have said no! That project is a violation of people's freedom".

"Sometimes we have to sacrifice our freedom to ensure our security".

"That's bullshit. You wanted to arrest people who hadn't done anything yet".

"I'm with Tony in this, Fury" Steve said. "I fought in the war so that our freedom was not taken away. This betrays everything I believe in".

"I don't expect neither of you to understand it." Fury replied. "But you're being naive if you think the project Insight wasn't necessary. It doesn't matter anymore. Now that SHIELD files are public, we're not gonna be able to finish the project".

"At least there is a bright side in this situation" Tony muttered and was going to continue but Natasha elbowed him. "What was that for?" Tony asked.

"I have questions too" she said. "Do you know who leaked the files?"

"I have no idea" Fury answered. "The only ones with access to that information were Hill and me. I already talked to her but she said it wasn't her".

"I believe her" Steve said. "Hill has always been loyal to SHIELD, she wouldn't do anything like that".

"But there's no other plausible explanation. There's no way someone could have snuck into he Helicarrier".

"Except there is" Tony said. "Someone snuck into the Helicarrier and stole every single file SHIELD has right in front of your nose".

For this, Steve elbowed him.

"I'm really done with people elbowing me!" the billionaire complained. "And I've only told the truth!"

"Yeah, but you don't have to be so rude".

"I'm not rude, I'm honest, a rare virtue nowadays".

Everyone rolled their eyes with that comment. At least Tony's joke meant he wasn't so angry anymore.

"What's gonna happen with SHIELD now?" Clint asked Fury.

"I have no idea either. The world security council wants to talk to me. I'm sure they are not very happy about all this. The truth is that SHIELD is in a very serious danger".

Fury hung up and the silence settled into the room again. Somehow, all of the Avengers felt this was the beginning of something really, really bad.

* * *

"Why have you requested an audience, Mr. Osborn?"

Harry smiled. He was standing in the middle of a room on the 35th floor. The only illumination were the lights on the ceiling since the curtains were drawn. He couldn't let anyone see what was happening inside that room or his whole plan (and HYDRA's) would be ruined.

There were five holographic projections around him which belonged to the members of the world security council.

"I've heard what happened with SHIELD".

A man with Arab features huffed and said:

"Everybody has heard it. The TV has been talking about it the whole day".

"SHIELD has been pretty incompetent" another man (this one was blond) complained. "We can't trust them anymore".

"You're right" Harry agreed. "And that's why I've called you".

"You want to take SHIELD's place, right?" the only woman of the council said, raising an eyebrow.

Harry grinned. He knew the woman would be the hardest one to convince but he was used to overcome obstacles.

"Not exactly, ma'am. I want to make the world safer".

"You tried to destroy the city, not a long time ago".

"I suffered a mental breakdown due to my father's death. It was a hard blow".

"I seriously doubt your father's death caused you to inject yourself with a substance whose effects are unknown".

"You're right. I did that because I was dying. My father's disease was inherited and I didn't have much time left. It was impulsive and I regret it but now that I have controlled the secondary effects I am more powerful than ever. And that could benefit you".

"How?" the Arab man asked.

"I still have more of that serum and my company is one of the most advanced in the scientific field".

"You're suggesting you'd give us that serum in exchange for SHIELD's direction?" the woman laughed. "You're trying to bribe us?"

"I'm suggesting I could improve the serum removing the secondary effects. Think about it. Maybe the WWII would have a very different outcome without Captain America. Imagine what it would be like to have an army like him. I'm sure terrorists groups like HYDRA would think it twice before attacking you".

Harry saw in their eyes that they had taken the bait. Of course he was going to develop that serum but for his own use, not to give it to those idiots.

"One thing is sure: Nick Fury needs to be removed from his position and we need someone to occupy his place" the blond man said. "Someone impartial who doesn't have any connection with SHIELD and Osborn looks like a good candidate".

"Forget SHIELD. After what happened, the public opinion will never accept that organization again" the fourth member, with a strong Russian accent, said.

"That's not a problem" Harry assured the council. "I've always thought the best way to protect ourselves from threats is not a SHIELD, it's a HAMMER".

* * *

**A/N: Here is the new chapter! About project Insight, it's part of the plot of Captain America: Winter Soldier. I thought it suited here and that's why I decided to use it. Don't worry, there won't be spoilers of the movie since my fic happens before it. **

**I hope you liked the chapter, and if you did leave a review. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/followed. Your support helps me continue the story a lot! Answering to a review from Batman 111893: I didn't have Hill kidnapped because I want to write something a little different. Fury and the Avengers will find out what has happened, but probably in the next chapter**.


	15. Chapter 15

Tony straightened his tie and looked himself in the mirror with sweaty hands. He hadn't been so nervous of a press conference since the one in which he told he was Iron-Man. Things had escalated quickly since the publication of SHIELD documents. There had been manifestations against the organization, which was logical, and against the Avengers which was not so logical in Tony's opinion. And that's why he was giving the press conference, to defend himself. Suddenly, two thin arms wrapped him from behind in a hug.

"How are you doing?" Pepper asked him.

"I could use a drink".

"I think the press would talk bad about you if you appeared drunk".

"They already talk bad about me" he said with resentment.

"This is just temporary, Tony. People are angry and need someone to blame".

"But us? The Avengers? Have they forgotten we saved their asses with the Chitauri invasion?"

"I'm sure they haven't. They're just confused. SHIELD was supposed to protect them, not to violate their security".

"I already know that. But the Avengers are not SHIELD".

"Then, you have to convince them".

_But, how?_ He thought, but he didn't say it out loud. He just kissed Pepper and went to the room where the press was anxiously waiting. The moment he was in front of the microphone, a journalist got up and asked:

"Mr. Stark, did you know SHIELD's plans?"

"I had no idea".

"But Nick Fury, the director of SHIELD, created the Avengers".

"Yeah, he did. To fight a potential threat against humanity, the Chitauri army".

"And you were still working for SHIELD after that..."

"I didn't work for anyone" Tony said. "The group split after the invasion and I resumed my duties as the CEO of Stark Industries".

"But Captain America, Black Widow and Hawkeye are officially agents of SHIELD".

"You'll have to talk to them. I can't speak for them and their missions are confidential".

"And how do you know they didn't violate the security of the American citizens?"

"What did you learn in college?" Ok, I probably shouldn't have said that Tony thought. "I already told you his missions are confidential so I don't know what they did or didn't do in them!"

Five minutes. That's how much he had lasted without losing his nerves. But it was totally justified: these journalists were idiots! He really wanted to get out of that damned press conference, and his wish was granted when a group of people burst into the room yelling: "Down with Stark!" "The Avengers are the minions of SHIELD!" and more insults. Suddenly, someone threw something at Tony who got down just in time to dodge it. He turned around and saw the object, a rotten tomato, splattered on the wall. Another thing was thrown and crashed in his back. Tony's first thought was that whatever it was, the substance was suspiciously sticky and the second one was that he really liked the suit and it was a shame he had to throw it away.

"Sir, we should leave" his driver, Happy, said.

Tony nodded and followed his driver while the security staff tried to contain the furious crowd. He got in the car where Pepper was already waiting for him. People were blocking the street, throwing various things at the car. This time wasn't just rotten food but also rocks.

"That's it. I'm gonna teach them a lesson" Tony shouted.

"You can't attack civilian people" Pepper said.

"But they can attack us? That's not fair!"

"The NYPD is taking care of them, don't worry".

Tony sulked in the seat and tried to relax (without success). The ride seemed eternal to him even though it lasted just a few minutes. When they arrived at the tower, he took the elevator up to the Avengers floor. Only Bruce was there watching the news which was broadcasting the disastrous press conference. News really travels fast Tony thought with a grimace.

"Enjoying the show, Green Bean?" Tony asked.

"First, don't call me Green Bean again or I'll start calling you Bucket-head. And no, I'm not enjoying at all. What do you have on your jacket?"

"Some piece of rotten food" Tony said while he took off the jacket and threw it on the floor.

"You shouldn't go out for a while. Things are too unstable".

"Really? I hadn't realized" Tony said sarcastically while he poured himself a drink. "People hate me".

"No, people don't hate you. They just don't trust you nor the Avengers".

"That doesn't make me feel any better".

Bruce shrugged "But it's the truth. SHIELD created the Avengers".

"You too, Bruce? SHIELD had the idea, but we're not his puppets!"

"You don't have to tell me, Tony. I'm part of the Avengers, remember?"

The scene on the TV changed and Harry Osborn appeared on the screen.

"HAMMER is an organization which has been created to take care of the security now that it has been demonstrated that SHIELD is corrupt. Our objective is to bring the culprits to justice so they can pay for breaking the Constitution of the United States. There's going to be a public presentation of HAMMER tomorrow at Times Square".

"He, he..." Tony put himself in front of the TV and pointed at the image "He is giving moral lessons! And people believe him, has the world gone crazy?"

"Right now, he is the perfect image of redemption after the attack of Spider-Man".

"Fake attack!" Tony yelled. "He faked it all, he was the one who blew up Oscorp and killed innocent people".

"But we don't have any proof. The press may have believed you a week ago but now they'll call you a liar".

"They're already doing it and I've had enough!" he turned around and shouted "Jarvis, call all of the Avengers and Fury too. Tell them to come here immediately".

"What are you going to do?" Bruce asked.

"We are going to make a plan to fix this mess" Tony said emphasizing the pronoun "And since part of the mess has the name of Harry Osborn written all over it, we also need Spider-Man".

"And how are you going to call him? It's not as if you have his telephone number exactly".

"No, I just have the highest building in New York City" Tony replied with a grin.

* * *

Peter was taking a walk because he had decided that if he watched more TV his head was going to explode. Or heard the radio, or read newspapers... Anything related to news and Harry Osborn. Besides, he hadn't put his Spider-Man suit on for days and he was getting antsy. He wanted to help people but people didn't want his help...nor the Avengers. Peter was used to people seeing the Avengers as heroes while Spider-Man was the menace. He had always felt a little jealous because of that. Honestly, when he read the Daily Bugle that morning and saw Jameson insulting the Avengers, he almost couldn't believe it.

He saw how a bunch of people was whispering and looking at the sky. He followed their gaze and realized they were looking at the Stark tower. The lights of some floors had been turned on strategically so that they formed the shape of a giant spider. Peter couldn't help but laugh. _Tony Stark, king of the subtlety_ he thought sarcastically. _Well, at least now I'll be able to put my suit on._

"We've been here for half an hour, Tony" Clint complained from his spot on the couch.

"Yeah, did you call us just to sit here without doing anything?" Natasha asked angrily.

"Have a little patience, ok?"

"It's funny you're the one telling us that. And what are we waiting for, anyhow?" Clint asked.

Suddenly, another voice came from the window:

"Did you really need a giant luminous sign to call me?"

Spider-Man was crouched on the window, his head cocked to one side and, though his mask hid his expression, everybody was sure he was watching the scene amused.

"If you gave me your address, I wouldn't have these problems".

"I refuse to answer that. Who's eye patch and the woman?" Spider-Man asked, pointing at Fury.

"I'm Nick Fury, director of SHIELD and this is Maria Hill. And you better think it twice before calling me that again, bug".

Right then Peter decided he didn't like Fury at all. He gave him goosebumps with the eye patch and the sinister look. _Although he's perfect for the role of the director of a creepy organization _he thought. Hill wasn't bad though she had the same expression that Black Widow, the one that said: Don't mess with me or I'll leave you sterile.

"Since we are all here, we can start" Tony announced.

"Finally!" Clint said.

"What did the world security council tell you, Fury?" Steve asked.

"They think our services are no longer necessary".

"With our services, you mean the Avengers too?" Tony said incredulously.

"Yeah. In fact, they've said that SHIELD is dismantled and doesn't have any authority anymore".

"And who has it, then?"

"HAMMER"

Those words made Peter's heart beat faster.

"HAMMER, as the new organization created by Harry Osborn aka The Green Goblin?" Tony yelled. "Great, first they sent a missile to Manhattan and then they put a lunatic at charge of the world security. Someone should have a talk to those guys".

"This was his plan from the beginning".

Everybody looked at Spider-Man who was still crouched on the window.

"What do you mean?" Bruce asked.

"What are the security measures of SHIELD?" Peter asked Fury.

"We have guards everywhere, retinal scanners to enter any room and cameras" Fury said, a little reluctantly.

"And where were those archives?"

"In a restricted room. The only ones who could get into it were Hill and me".

"And I didn't do it" Hill said vehemently.

"And someone who can imitate anyone's appearance?"

There were a few moments of silence while everyone digested the news. Then, the room exploded with angry shouts and curses. Peter just kept silent. Harry Osborn was one of the most powerful people of the world now, he could do whatever he wanted to. _It's my worst nightmare come true_ he thought desperately.

Suddenly, an object flew through the room and crashed against the wall. It was Captain America's shield. The hero was standing beside the couch and said:

"Arguing is not going to solve anything. We need to work together".

All of them nodded but they didn't feel too optimistic. They had gotten themselves into a whole lot of trouble but there was something everyone had clear: they hated Harry Osborn as much as Spider-Man did.

* * *

The next day, Times Square was filled with so many people it looked like New Year's Eve. Peter was on the rooftop of a building with his camera. He decided he would take some photos and try to sell them to the Daily Bugle. _Might as well get some benefit from this_ he thought. He was also satisfying some sort of masochist desire because there was no other way of explaining why he was there, watching how his worst enemy triumphed.

At the far end of the square there was a big scenario with the back covered by a curtain. He saw how a man stepped into it and grabbed a microphone.

"Good afternoon, citizens of New York City" the man said with a smug smile. "My name is Fiers and I'm glad you're here, at the presentation of HAMMER. You'll probably ask how it's different from SHIELD. And this same presentation is the answer. HAMMER is not going to be an obscure organization people don't know anything about. It's going to be public. We're at the service of you, the citizens, and our duty is to protect you".

Peter wanted to throw up. If he had to hear another lie, his ears would start bleeding.

"And we also have real heroes, not false ones who only work for their own interests".

The curtain fell to the ground and Peter's jaw dropped. The Rhino, the Vulture, Kraven and the Chameleon were there. But that's not what surprised Peter. In the center, leading them, there was what Peter only was able to call a mixture between Captain America and Iron-Man. It was an armor like Iron-Man's but painted in red, blue and white. The mask flipped revealing Harry Osborn's face and people cheered him. Peter's heart sunk to the floor when he heard them. How could they be so blind? How could they not see they were cheering a monster who would kill them all without blinking? He almost left then because the moment was being more painful than what he could stand. But he stayed, just a lonely figure in the shadows.

"I'm Iron Patriot, leader of HAMMER" Harry said, "and these are the new Avengers".

* * *

**A/N:** **New chapter! I want to explain a few points. HAMMER is an organization created by Harry Osborn to rule the world, like I've explained in this chapter, but it's not related to Justin Hammer at all. I've realized this might be confusing because I watched Iron-Man 2 a few days ago (I didn't like it, by the way). To sum up, the name is just a coincidence.**

**I know Iron Patriot armor appears in Iron-Man 3 but it also appears in Dark Reign comics, which are the comics I'm partly drawing inspiration from and that's why I put it.**

** Thanks to everyone who has favorited/followed/reviewed. Your support means a lot to me. And if you've liked the chapter, leave a review. :-)**


	16. Chapter 16

That son of a bitch!" Tony yelled.

When Tony had watched the presentation of HAMMER the day before, he had gotten angry. So angry that the rest of the Avengers, who were in the living room, decided to flee before going deaf because of Tony's shouts. A day after that and he was still furious. He wanted to grab Harry Osborn and squeeze his neck until his face turned blue. How dared he steal the plans of his armor? That bastard had gotten them when he stole SHIELD files. But there was a problem: Tony had never given the plans of his armor to SHIELD. That meant SHIELD had stolen them first. He had been calling Fury the whole day but he wasn't picking up the phone. Tony was sure he was avoiding his calls on purpose.

Right now he was on the terrace, sat on a chair with a drink in his hand, admiring the views of the city and trying to relax a little. Actually, Pepper had forced him to go there because, according to her, he was scaring the staff. Then, he heard a buzz above his head and, before he had to time to look up, a helicopter landed on the terrace, raising dust. Tony looked at the logo on the side of the helicopter, which said HAMMER in red letters and thought_ great, just the people I wanted to see._ A group of soldiers, dressed entirely in black clothes, got out of the helicopter. Tony noticed that they had their guns drawn and pointing at him.

"Tony Stark, you're under arrest".

"Why? I haven't done anything illegal lately. If it's because of the explosion that happened a few days ago, I was just doing an experiment. I didn't know the window would crash against that car..."

Tony was babbling on purpose. He was trying to calculate how long it would take his suit to reach the terrace. Too long, he feared. _Why did I leave it in the laboratory?_ he thought with despair. One of the soldiers cut him off:

"Shut up! You're under arrest for helping SHIELD to build the Helicarriers that were going to be used for Project Insight".

"You have to be kidding me" Tony said. "I didn't know what those Helicarriers were going to be used for".

"Raise your hands and don't even think about using your suit. If I see one of those pieces flying, I'll shoot you before you can even touch it".

Tony raised his hands in surrender. He wished Natasha or Clint were there to kick these guys' asses. He recalled how Natasha had told him he should always have a gun with him. _I wish I had listened to her._

* * *

"This is a bad idea".

"I know".

"And I don't agree with it"

"You've already told me that".

"And you're gonna get yourself killed".

"That's a bit extremist, don't you think?"

"Peter, I'm not kidding!"

Peter sighed. He was in an alley next to the Oscorp building with Gwen. After the presentation of HAMMER, he had decided to take matters into his own hands and make a plan. Right then, the strength of Harry was that people believed he was a saint. If Peter found proof of Harry's evil plan (he didn't know what that evil plan was exactly but there had to be one, right?), he would be alone and without support again. So he had asked Gwen to steal a coat and an identification to pretend he was a scientist and hack into Oscorp computers. It wasn't a perfect plan, but nowadays nothing was.

"This is dangerous!" Gwen said. "Why can't I do it? I work there and I've already hacked their computers".

"And they didn't have any proof against Harry. He's not going to keep that kind of thing in a random computer nor in his PC. Oscorp has a restricted room where all of his files are kept".

"So you're just going to sneak into it and steal those files" Gwen said sarcastically. "You say it as if it was the easiest thing in the world".

"I already know it's dangerous. That's why I don't want you to do it. If I'm caught, I can web a guard to the ceiling and leave through a window. You can't".

Gwen frowned, but she knew his boyfriend was right. It didn't make her feel any better, though.

"And why don't you call the Avengers? They could help you".

"Right now they're not the most adequate people to sneak into a place. They're too recognizable. That's why I'm using civilian clothes and not my suit. Besides, the floor is in the basement and the only way of going there is by the elevator. I can't appear as Spider-Man".

"This is such a bad idea" Gwen muttered, resigned because she had fallen in love with one of the most stubborn men in the planet.

"Look" Peter said, holding her hands into his. "Everything is gonna be fine. If it's too difficult, I'll run away".

"You never run away".

"But I don't have suicide desires either. If I can't get into that room, I'll find another way of defeating Harry".

"Promise me".

"I promise I'll come back, OK?" Peter said and kissed her on the lips.

Gwen felt more confident while she watched him go into the building...until she remembered Peter didn't have a good track record keeping promises.

Peter's heart was beating fast in his chest while he walked towards the metal detector. He was afraid someone would discover he was an impostor. He wondered if the Chameleon had been as nervous as him when he snuck into SHIELD._ Probably not since he didn't have to worry about stealing identifications._ He put the identification in front of a scanner and the light above it turned green, letting him pass. _I'm in. That's a start_ he thought with an optimism he didn't really feel._ Now I just have to find the room._

He stepped into the elevator. The room was in the basement, which meant no windows to escape, and the only way of going was having a high-level identification. Gwen had already warned him that she had taken the first identification she saw and had no idea what level had. _Maybe I have luck for a change_ he thought. He put the identification in front of the scanner. The elevator went down and Peter let out a sigh of relief.

The doors slid open revealing the empty halfway, but his spider-sense told him otherwise. _There must be a guard walking around here_. Peter decided to crawl to the ceiling. He passed above the guard who didn't even see him and looked around. Every halfway had multiple doors. _If I have to search them all, it'll take me ages_ he thought desperately. He turned the corner and saw it. A round steel door at the end of the halfway. _It has to be this one._ He lowered himself to the ground and put the identification in front of the scanner. _It's the third time I have to do this._ Peter thought with annoyance. The door opened and Peter came in. He used an inhibitor he had made himself to turn off all the cameras and introduced a flash drive in one of the computers. The codes were a little complex (his strong suit was science, not informatics), but he could access to the files and started downloading them._ Now I just have to wait_ he thought. He watched the percentage of download anxiously. Some minutes later (though it seemed hours to Peter) the download was at the 90 per cent. And then, his spider-sense tingled. _So much for the good luck._ He could hear footsteps coming towards the room and crawled to the ceiling just when the door was opening. A man with a white coat, probably a scientist, came in and walked towards the computer...which was on because Peter hadn't turned it off. His strong suit wasn't the espionage either. Peter could blind the scientist with his webs, but that would be like leaving a neon sign saying Spider-Man was here. The last thing he wanted was Harry finding out Spider-Man had stolen his files so he opted for a more conservative method. Peter, hanging upside down by a strand of web, touched the scientist's shoulder. The man turned around and Peter punched him in the face, knocking him unconscious.

"Sorry" Peter apologised even though he knew the man couldn't hear him.

Peter grabbed the flash drive and got out of the room. _This isn't being so hard_ he thought with a grin.

* * *

Dr. Martin Slater was going to suffer a heart attack. At least that's what he thought it would happen if he didn't find out his identification. He always had it in the pocket of his coat and he had left it alone just a few minutes while he was on a coffee break. But he had lost it, or worse, someone had stolen it. And if his own identification was used to get into private archives...Slater shuddered. Everyone knew that getting fired wasn't the worst thing it could happen to you at Oscorp. He sighed and went to the lobby. He would have to report it to the guard. _I really hope the identification will appear hidden under a table or behind a desk_ he thought. He approached the guard and told him:

"I've lost my identification".

"What's your name?" the guard asked.

"Dr. Martin Slater".

"And when did you lose it?"

"I don't know exactly. An hour ago, more or less".

The guard grabbed the cell phone and made a call.

"Check out if an identification by the name of Martin Slater has been used recently".

When Slater saw the guard's expression every doubt about whether his identification had been stolen or not vanished.

"Send your men to the basement and catch that rat, right now!" the guard ordered.

* * *

When the alarm rang Peter thought _Please, tell me this is just a coincidence._ But then a female voice came from the speakers:

"A security breach has been confirmed. All exits are closed and the employers will have to register to the guard on their floor. Sorry for the inconvenience".

Peter cursed. Sometimes it looked like the universe hated him. At that moment, his spider-sense didn't just tingle, but threatened with breaking his skull. He ran to the elevator and the tingle just turned louder. Peter looked at the numbers above the doors which showed the floor where the elevator was. It was going down and Peter wondered once more what he had done to the universe .

Peter thought of routes of escape. But he was in a basement, which meant no windows, and there wasn't any ventilation duct he could use. So he would have to face whoever came out from the elevator. He was wearing his Spider-man suit under his normal clothes, but he didn't have time to change. He shrugged. He preferred to be considered an idiot teenager than an idiot teenager who was also Spider-Man.

The doors opened and a group of soldiers came out. _Shit!_ Peter thought. They pointed at him and shouted:

"Don't move!"

Peter rolled his eyes. _If I had a dollar every time someone tells me this I'd be rich._ He punched one of them, knocking him out, and kicked another one in the stomach. The others looked, stunned. Probably they didn't expect a 17-year-old teenager to fight so well. Unluckily, they recovered quickly and started shooting. Peter dodged all of the bullets thanks to his spider-sense. He wanted to use his web-shooters, but that would give away his identity. How frustrating. Suddenly, he felt a great pain in his back and fell to the floor. He wanted to move, but it was as if his whole body was paralyzed. He knew the feeling too well. He had felt the same when those cops tasered him the night he fought the Lizard. _I almost prefer a bullet_ he thought. He saw how one of the soldiers raised his taser and shot. Peter cried out when he felt the pain again and was almost relieved when he blacked out.

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter, Tony and Peter as cellmates! I'm really looking forward to writing that. Thanks for your support +80 follows, you are amazing! And if you've liked this chapter, leave a review because I'm a total review addict.**

**Answering to a couple of reviews: Guest of honor, yes I'll use your idea in later chapters. I think it's pretty good and the Avengers are going to need a place to hide soon.**

**Nerdyicesk8er: Yeah, the name is a coincidence. Hammer industries is totally different from the one I'm writing about and Justin Hammer doesn't appear in this fic. If I had known it would be this confusing, I would have changed the name. But, I'm leaving it like that now. And I want to see how Peter kicks Harry's little booty too :-)**


	17. Chapter 17

"This has gone too far!" Clint shouted. "I'm going to teach that idiot a lesson!"

"Calm down, Clint" Steve said.

"Calm down? That bastard of Osborn has kidnapped Tony".

"He hasn't kidnapped him, he has arrested him. Remember that now he has power to do that".

"So we're just going to stand here without doing anything?"

"No, what I'm saying is that we need a plan. The three of us don't have enough resources to stop Osborn and the entire HAMMER".

"Do you know where Fury is?" Steve asked.

"No idea" Natasha answered. "I think he's too busy trying to keep SHIELD together".

"We're alone, then".

"And what about Bruce?" Clint said "I know it's an emergency resource, but I would say this situation is an exception".

"Getting Bruce into this would only mean more problems" Natasha said. "We don't know if he can control the Hulk".

"He could during the Chitauri invasion" Clint replied.

"We're not sure" Steve said, "and we can't risk innocent people's lives. Bruce is out of the question".

"OK" Clint said defeatedly. "But we can't let Tony in there. Osborn will torture him and you know it".

"You're right. We can't defeat HAMMER for now, but we can rescue Tony. The only problem is that we don't know where he is exactly".

"I can tell you that" Pepper Potts came into the room carrying a suitcase. "I've talked with a contact I have at Oscorp. The top floor has been turned into cells".

"Thanks, Pepper".

"Just bring him back safe".

Steve held her hands into his and looked her in the eyes.

"I promise we won't let anything happen to him".

"Well, if Captain America is making me a promise, I should believe it".

Steve smiled and said to the team:

"C'mon, let's go. We have no time to waste".

"Wait!" Pepper shouted. He handed the suitcase to Steve. "Give this to Tony and tell him not to forget his armor again or he'll be sorry".

"Sure".

"After this, I'm going to force him to take my classes of fighting" Natasha said.

"Totally agree with you. He can't depend just on his armor" Pepper said.

Steve smiled, enjoying the last moments of normalcy he was going to have for a very long time. He was conscious of the consequences of this action. Harry Osborn was the law now and he wasn't going to take well the Avengers' disobedience. They would be turned into outlaws, forced to run away and leave their lives behind. But Steve didn't care. Tony was a member of the team and also his friend. And one of the things he had learned in the army was never leaving your friend behind.

* * *

The first thing Peter saw when he woke up was a dirty ceiling._ What a beautiful view_ he thought sarcastically. His entire body felt sore and he remembered the fight against the soldiers. Sneaking into Oscorp hadn't been his brightest idea. He sat with a groan and saw he was inside a cell.

"I was wondering when you'd wake up".

"Shit" Peter said automatically. Of all people he could have been locked up with... He looked at his left and, in the cell next to his, was Tony Stark pretending to be offended.

"Hey! When most people see me, they think Wow: That's the billionaire, genius, incredibly handsome Tony Stark. They don't swear".

"Add egocentric to the list".

"And what's your name?"

Peter hesitated for a moment, but then thought:_ Not even Tony Stark is going to realize I'm Spider-Man just by saying my name._

"Peter Parker".

Tony frowned and Peter's heart skipped a beat._ C'mon, it's just impossible he figured it out!_

"No, never heard of it" Tony said and Peter let out a sigh of relief, "which means you haven't done anything important with your life so you can't talk to me like that".

Peter rolled his eyes. _If he just knew..._ He got up and swayed slightly. He placed a hand on the wall as support and closed his eyes while he cursed mentally the inventor of the tasers.

"You're okay?" Tony asked him.

"What do you think, billionaire genius?"

"Someone's a little jumpy".

Peter sighed and said with a heavy amount of sarcasm.

"Sorry. I've been tasered twice, and I really hate tasers so I'm a little upset. Besides, I really thought this was gonna work out".

Tony grimaced. Judging by his looks, the kid wasn't even eighteen. _Who the hell tasers a teenager?_ he thought with disgust, but didn't say it out loud. Instead, he asked:

"What did you think it was gonna work out?"

"I snuck into the basement using a false identification. There's a room there where Oscorp keeps all his information and..."

Peter stopped talking, checked the pockets of his jeans and cursed.

"Is something wrong, besides the obvious? Tony asked.

"I had the information in a flash drive, but the soldiers took it".

He also checked more subtly his wrists and was relieved when he felt his web-shooters. They couldn't help him get out of that cell but he never knew when they could be useful.

"OK, let me get this straight" Tony said. "You snuck into Oscorp and stole an identification to copy restricted archives?"

"Actually, my girlfriend stole the identification. She must be worried sick about me".

"Then you shouldn't have done this. What were you thinking about?"

Peter shrugged. He had already said too much. He approached the bars of the cell and tried to double them, but they didn't move an inch. Tony laughed.

"It's not play dough, you know? That's vibranium, the hardest metal on earth. Captain America's shield is made of that".

"Great" Peter said sarcastically. At that moment, a thought struck him: Tony Stark, one of the most powerful men in the world, had been locked up by Harry Osborn. How the hell had that happened?

"Why are you here?" Peter asked.

"I was arrested for helping SHIELD to build those damned Helicarriers".

"But, you could've run away, right? You have the most expensive armor in the world! Well, now Harry Osborn has another one".

"Don't mention that bastard to me! He stole my designs!"

"Someone's a little jumpy, right?"

Tony glared at Peter. The kid had balls, that much was true. He was starting to like him.

"This is just the beginning" Tony said. "The Helicarriers were just an excuse to arrest me. Osborn needs to get rid of his direct competitors and those are the Avengers and SHIELD. I was the first on because fighting without the armor is not my thing".

"He's going to have a harder time fighting against Captain America or Black Widow".

"He's not going to go after them" Tony said as if Peter had said the most stupid thing in the world. "There's another member of our team who looks weaker".

_Banner_ Peter realized, thinking about how the doctor was obviously close to the Avengers though he never fought with them.

"But appearances are deceiving" Tony said. "If he's not careful..."

Tony didn't finish the sentence, just shook his head and kept silent. Peter decided not to ask. His main objective was to get out of there alive, he didn't have time to worry about anyone else.

* * *

Bruce Banner was reading a newspaper, sat at a bench in Central Park. He always went there when he felt very upset. Right now, he felt totally useless. Steve, Natasha and Clint were going to rescue Tony (hopefully) while he sat there, waiting, because he couldn't help them._ If only I could control the other guy_ he thought. But he was afraid. Afraid of what he could do, of the people he could hurt. He sighed. He could only pray the mission turned out fine.

"Dr. Bruce Banner?"

Bruce turned his head and looked at the person. He was obviously a soldier, wearing black clothes and armed to the teeth. Other people would be panicked, but Bruce had learned to control his feelings and, when he spoke, his voice was completely calm.

"Can I help you?"

"I need you to come with me, sir".

"And if I don't want to? You're gonna arrest me like you did with Tony?"

"I'd prefer not to take such drastic measures".

Bruce looked around and saw he was surrounded by soldiers. He bit his lip, worried. Every time he was in danger, the other guy came out, and he was already feeling him. An intense pain spread through his body and he doubled over. He looked at his hand and saw how his skin was turning green. _No, please_ he thought. Bruce preferred to be locked up in a cell before turning into the monster. But, as usual, his desires didn't matter and before the soldiers could react, the Hulk was standing in front of them, roaring. The soldiers shot at him, but the bullets didn't make him even a scratch. The monster caught three of the soldiers with one hand as if they were dolls and slammed them in the floor. The others fled realizing they didn't have a chance against a monster who could stop a Chitauri plane with one arm.

The Hulk may be a completely different being than Bruce Banner, but he had a connection with him, and that connection was telling him to go to that brilliant tower glittering in the distance, the one that had written Oscorp in giant letters.

* * *

Half a day. Half a day had passed and he hadn't come back. _Why did I listen to him? I should have stopped him somehow_. But when Peter had an idea, he was the most stubborn person in the world and no one could stop him, not even his girlfriend who was pacing back and forth in front of the Oscorp building. Gwen knew people were looking at her as if she were a lunatic, but she didn't care. She was too worried about his boyfriend. Harry was crazy and had tried to kill Peter twice. If he found out Peter had stolen him, there was no way he would get out of the building alive.

She grabbed her cell phone and marked a number. The voice at the other end of the line said:

"This is Pepper Potts. Right now I can't pick up the phone, but..."

Gwen hung up and cursed. She had been trying to reach Pepper Potts for an hour without success. She had even tried to go to the Stark Tower to talk to the Avengers (she didn't give a damn if Peter got mad at her for revealing his identity), but the security staff kicked her out, arguing that the Avengers were too busy to talk to "a little girl" like her.

She sighed. If they didn't want to help her, it was fine by her._ I'll rescue him by myself_ she thought with decision, while she went into Oscorp.

* * *

**A/N: Here's another chapter! I wanted to put the Hulk since I started the fic, but it never seemed the correct moment. I think this moment is perfect since I want to cause all the mayhem possible at Oscorp. I promise next chapter will be very interesting, and a little longer, so maybe it takes more than a week to write it. Thanks for your support (I know I always say the same, but it really means a lot to me). If you've liked the chapter, leave a review.**

**Answering to a review from Batman 11893: Your review gave me the idea of Gwen going into Oscorp. I think it would be interesting if she saw the Avengers at the tower. Fury is going to appear in later chapters to help the Avengers too, they can't do everything by themselves! :-)**


	18. Chapter 18

"I'm sooo bored".

Peter rolled his eyes. He had never met a person more annoying than Tony Stark. He had spent the last hours singing invented songs with stupid lyrics like "this place sucks" or "Harry Osborn is an idiot" (that one had been funny). The last one was "I'm sooo bored", and Peter couldn't stand it anymore.

"Can you shut up?" Peter said.

"Two hours. You are really patient".

"What?"

"Natasha usually tells me to shut up after three minutes. Actually she threatens with shooting me".

"You mean you've been doing this on purpose?" Peter yelled which caused Tony to laugh.

"C'mon, don't get angry, kid. I need some distraction".

Peter glared at Tony. Right then, he wanted to punch him in the face...repeatedly.

"Why do you think no one has interrogated us yet?" Tony asked "It's been a while".

"I don't know. Maybe Harry is too busy to care about us".

At that moment, as if someone had been listening, he door opened and a guard came in carrying two trays.

"The food is here".

"Hey happy face" Tony said. "When is your boss going to talk to us?"

"That's none of my business, and shut up".

"But..."

"I said shut up!"

And Tony kept silent. _The guard has achieved the impossible_ Peter thought. The guard introduced the trays in the cells through an opening between the bars. Peter looked at the food and decided he preferred to starve before eating that. The guard was turning around to get out when a roar sounded. _Just when I thought things couldn't get worse_ Peter thought.

"What was that?" he asked, trying to hide the fear in his voice.

Then, the guard's cell phone rang, and he picked it up.

"What?" the guard said incredulously. "Yeah, I'm already going".

Peter was surprised to see the guard, who had looked very stern a few moments ago, trembling and scared. _And more important, distracted_ Peter thought with a smile. He grabbed the tray and, getting it out through the bars, hit the guard in the head. He fell to the ground unconscious and Tony said:

"I could kiss you right now".

"Good thing we're in different cells, then".

Peter could see the keys hanging on the guard's belt. He extended the arm between the bars and tried to reach them. He could have used his web-shooters, but he didn't want Tony to discover his identity. It took a while, but eventually he got the keys and opened the door of his cell and Tony's. Then, another roar was heard followed by screams.

"That's probably the Hulk" Tony said.

"The..." Peter was speechless. _Just my luck_. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I was afraid something like this would happen. Hurry up, we have to leave".

They opened the door and stepped into a large hallway. There were two elevators in the left wall and a large window that showed the skyline of Manhattan in the right wall.

"We're on the top floor" Peter said.

Peter could have shot his webs and left swinging, but he didn't dare with Tony there. Besides, there were people in danger and he couldn't let them be killed by the Hulk (even if those people worked for HAMMER).

"The elevators don't work" Tony said. "We'll have to take the stairs".

Peter sighed. It was going to be a long way. _If the Hulk doesn't kill us before_ he thought.

* * *

The Avengers were in front of the Oscorp building. Initially, their plan was to sneak into the top floor through a window and rescue Tony. But then they saw the Hulk coming into the building and the plan changed drastically.

"I'm going to kill Bruce when this is over" Clint said.

"It's not his fault" Natasha replied. "He didn't ask for this".

"Right now the most important thing is to stop the Hulk before he kills someone" Steve said.

"What about Tony?"

"We'll rescue him later".

_If we survive the Hulk_ Clint thought.

People were coming out of the building, too panicked and scared to see the Avengers. _Normal people run away from the danger, but we always run into it_ Steve thought. _Sometimes I wonder if there's something wrong with us._

The first floor was deserted, but it was obvious the Hulk had been there. It looked like the aftermath of a war. Everything was turned upside down and the stairs were half demolished, so the heroes had to be very careful. Three floors up, and they hadn't found the Hulk yet.

"Where is he?" Clint asked frustrated. "He's not a stealth guy precisely".

A roar sounded followed by screams and other sounds that no one could identify.

"I think that answers your question" Natasha said.

They went upstairs and found the Hulk destroying a laboratory. A group of people was huddled in a corner, trying to protect themselves from the flying crystals and without possibility of escape because the Hulk was blocking the exit.

Clint shot an explosive arrow at the Hulk. It didn't make him even a scratch but it distracted him enough time so that Captain America helped the scientists escape. The Hulk swung a fist towards Captain America but he stopped it with his shield. The monster launched himself at the hero, but Steve could dodge him just in time. Then, Clint shot him another arrow, but it only made the Hulk angrier. He caught the bowman by the leg and threw him against the wall.

_This is not working_ Natasha thought. _We're not hurting him and, even if we did, that doesn't mean he will turn into Bruce again._

"Hey, big guy" Natasha said with a calm she didn't really feel. "We don't want to hurt you, OK? We're here to help you".

The Hulk just roared and threw a table at her. Natasha dodged it though some splinters cut into her skin. She unholstered her guns and shot at the Hulk. She wasn't comfortable doing this because she really liked Bruce, but she had to stop him somehow. She could have just crossed her arms without doing anything since the bullets did nothing to the monster. Suddenly, the Rhino came into the room and launched himself at the Hulk, throwing him against the wall. The Avengers had never been more confused. Did that mean that one of his enemies was going to help them?

"Thanks?" Clint asked more than said.

"You can thank me after I've stopped the Hulk, and then I'm going to kill all of you".

"I'd like to see you try" Natasha said, pointing her guns at the villain.

The Rhino took a step towards her, but then the Hulk punched him in the face causing the villain to stumble. The Rhino kicked the monster in the stomach and both started wrestling.

"It looks like they're gonna be fighting for a while. Why don't we go rescue Tony?" Clint suggested.

Before anyone could reply, the window exploded and the Vulture and Harry Osborn, in his new Iron Patriot armor, came in.

"What a nice surprise!" Harry said sarcastically. "I can't wait to see you all of you locked up in my cells".

* * *

_I'm the girl with the worst luck in the world_ Gwen thought. Just when she snuck into Oscorp, the Hulk decided to destroy the building. Luckily, the monster was on the first floors so she was safe for the moment. She just had one little problem: she had no idea where Peter was locked up. OK, maybe it was a big problem, but she had a plan to solve that.

Finally, she reached the floor she was looking for and walked towards the metallic door at the end of the hallway. Taking advantage of the confusion, Gwen had stolen the identification of the chief research officer who was too busy running away from the Hulk to notice._ I'm going to become a thief if I keep doing this_ Gwen thought grimacing. She put the identification in front of the scanner and the door opened. It was a large room, with a back wall made of glass that showed the landscape of New York City. The only furniture was a large black desk in the center. There was also a wooden door in the right wall, but Gwen wasn't interested in that.

She walked towards the desk and touched it gently. The desk lighted up and a touchscreen appeared on the surface. Gwen looked at the archives, trying to find some sort of information about a prison. _Maybe he's not even in this building she thought. Maybe he's being tortured or something worse. What can be worse than torture? I don't know, but I'm sure Harry can find it._ Gwen took a deep breath. Losing her nerves wasn't going to help Peter at all.

Suddenly, she heard the wooden door opening. _Oh, no._ Gwen looked around. There was no place to hide, and she wouldn't get to the door in time. She got down behind the desk. Gwen didn't remember the last time her heart had beaten so fast. If the person walked towards the door, he wouldn't see her, but if he walked towards the desk... Gwen preferred not to think about it.

"I know you're there".

The voice was masculine. _Maybe he's bluffing_ she thought. _Maybe he's a lunatic who imagines things or something like that._

"I'll count till three and if you don't get up from that desk, I'll shoot".

_What do I do now?_ she thought. _My knees are trembling, I can't move._

"One".

_But I can't stay here either._

"Two".

Before she could think twice about it, Gwen ran to the door while the man shot at her. She went downstairs, taking the stairs two at a time. She couldn't see the man, but could hear his footsteps following her. _Maybe I can hide in an empty room._ Then, she tripped and fell. She covered her head with her hands while she rolled down the stairs. Finally, she hit the wall with her back. The world was spinning around her, and she had never felt so dizzy, but she couldn't take a break. Gwen tried to get up, but in the moment she was standing her knees refused to support her weight and she fell to the floor again. Then, she heard a laughter followed by the voice of her pursuer.

"No one can run away from Kraven the Hunter".

Gwen looked up at Kraven. Peter had told her about him and how he had stabbed him in the leg. It was painfully obvious that she didn't have a chance against him physically.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you" Kraven said. "I'm a hunter, not a murderer. Besides, I'm sure Osborn will be very interested in knowing why you were in his office".

Gwen's eyes widened. Kraven thought it was because of fear, but actually it was due to realization. _I can't believe I didn't remember it before._ She put her hand in the pocket of her jeans. Kraven was so focused on his speech that he didn't even realize. Gwen grabbed the pepper spray, and sprayed in Kraven's face. The hunter cried out and Gwen couldn't help but smile. His dad had bought him her first spray and had warned her to carry it always with her. Gwen had called him paranoid, but now she was glad she had listened to him. The hunter started cursing in Russian and Gwen left running. She knew the spray wouldn't delay him for a long time, but she would improvise something. That's what she believed, at least.

* * *

Tony and Peter finally reached the fifth floor. They had expected to hear the Hulk, but there were other sounds of fighting too. Tony could recognize Clint's voice swearing. He wasn't surprised of hearing his teammates fighting the Hulk. He was part of the Avengers and, therefore, their responsibility. The fight was taking place in a nearby room, so Tony stopped and said:

"Peter, the stairs are free so you can run away".

"And what about you?"

"I have to help the others".

"You don't have your suit, remember?"

"Smart-ass" Tony said. "I'm an amazing human being without my suit too. Besides, probably Pepper gave my armor to the team so they could give it to me".

Tony wasn't very sure of that, but he wanted to get the kid out of harm's way and would say anything to convince him. Peter, for his part, realized this was his only chance of being alone and changing into his suit, so he said:

"Fine, but be careful".

"I always am".

Peter rolled his eyes and pretended to go downstairs. When he saw Tony disappear, he got into the first room he found and took off his civilian clothes, revealing his Spider-Man suit underneath. He put his mask on, and got out. He was in the hallway when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw someone running too fast to see who it was. Then, he heard a door closing. Peter guessed the person had gotten into a room. It wasn't hard to find out which one since all the doors were opened except one. His spider-sense wasn't tingling so he supposed the person was just a scared scientist. He opened the door and just his superhuman reflexes allowed him to dodge the vase that was thrown at him.

"Oh, Peter, I'm sorry!".

Peter stared at his girlfriend disbelievingly and said:

"Gwen? What the hell?"

"Kraven is chasing me and... I thought you were locked up or something like that!"

"Yeah, but I escaped. Can we return to the Kraven is chasing me part?"

"Sure. I snuck into Harry's office..."

"Why did you do something as dangerous as that?"

"Because I didn't know where you were! You said you were going to come back, but you didn't, and I didn't know if Harry was torturing you or..."

Peter hugged her and said:

"It's OK. I didn't want to worry you".

Gwen took a deep breath and said:

"You're horrible at keeping promises".

"I know, I'll try to improve. But right now you have to get out of here before Kraven comes".

"I can't take the stairs. He'll catch me before I reach the exit".

"But you're not taking the stairs" Peter said with a grin.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you remember when the Lizard attacked the high school?"

Then his spider-sense tingled with so much force it threatened with breaking his skull. Peter turned around to see Kraven at the threshold, pointing at them with a gun in each hand.

"Gwen, get down!"

Kraven started shooting, but Peter dodged the bullets. He ran towards Kraven and tried to kick him in the stomach, but the hunter rolled to one side. Peter shot him web balls but the hunter slashed them with his blades. I've already tried this in the docks and it didn't work the teenager thought frustrated.

"You can't defeat me, little bug. And your friends are not here to help you this time".

"Actually, they are in the next room".

But he couldn't call for help now, and he wasn't going to defeat Kraven fighting like that. What he and Kraven weren't seeing, too focused on the fight, was Gwen sneaking from behind and holding a fire extinguisher. She swung the object and hit Kraven in the head, knocking him out.

"You're the best girlfriend a superhero could have, Gwen" Peter said.

"I know".

Peter pulled up his mask and kissed her in the lips:

"But I could never forgive myself if something happened to you".

Before Gwen could react, Peter wrapped a strand of web around her waist and threw her out of the building. He had done the same thing when the Lizard attacked their high school. He looked down and saw Gwen on the ground. She was looking at the tower and, even though he couldn't see her face clearly, he was pretty sure she was furious. _She's gonna kill me when this is over._

His spider-sense tingled again and Peter rolled to the side just in time to dodge one of Kraven's blades. _He has good aim. Great_ Peter thought sarcastically.

"Do you think it's fine chasing girls? What a big hunter you are! You wouldn't even catch a cold".

"Don't mock me, bug. When I'm finished with you, I'll hang your head on my wall as a trophy.

Kraven tried to punch Peter in the face, but the hero grabbed the hunter's hand, and threw him against the wall. He pointed his web-shooters at Kraven, ready to pin him to the wall. _One enemy less_ he thought triumphantly.

And then the room exploded.

* * *

**A/N: Cliffhanger! I didn't know whether to keep writing or not, but I decided to end the chapter here and not make it too long. Next chapter is pretty important so don't miss it! Thanks to everyone who has followed/reviewed/favorited. Your support means a lot to me. And if you've liked the chapter, leave me a review.**

**Answering to a review from Batman111893: Fury knew Peter's parents, and knew they had a son, but he didn't know Peter personally. That's what I intend to write, maybe I change my mind later.**


	19. Chapter 19

_I'm sure that if hell exists, it looks like this_ Tony thought when he came into the laboratory. It was completely destroyed, and there were so many people fighting he didn't even see who was fighting who. What he did see was Natasha with his suitcase strapped on her back, shooting behind an overturned table. He was going to prepare the best romantic dinner in the world to Pepper when that was over. In the most expensive restaurant of the city or on the top of the Eiffel tower, depending on his mood.

"Hey, Romanoff, I think you have something mine" .

Natasha turned her head and looked at Tony incredulously.

"I thought you were locked up".

"Yeah, with an exceptionally smart cellmate".

"I see" She kept shooting with one hand while she used the other one to give him the suitcase. "Take this, and do something useful. I'm sure you want to beat the crap out of that copycat".

Tony saw Harry Osborn shooting blasters from his hands at Captain America, who was having a hard time stopping them with his shield._ That armor should be mine!_ Tony thought enraged. _Though I'd never pick that combination of colors._ He put his armor on in less than five seconds and shot a blaster at Osborn. He couldn't describe with words the satisfaction he felt when the villain crashed against the wall.

"I'll take care of him, Cap" he said to his teammate. "This is personal".

Steve nodded and went to help Clint who was shooting arrows at the Vulture while he dodged the explosives the villain was throwing at him.

"Do you think you can steal my designs?" Tony said to Osborn who was getting up "I'm gonna kick your ass".

"I just stole SHIELD documents. It's not my fault if the plans of your armor were there".

"You know what I think? I think you envy me".

Harry burst out laughing and said:

"Envy you? Why would envy a drunk arrogant who had to give the direction of his own company to his girlfriend because he didn't know how to run it?".

"Your company has tried to compete with mine since it was founded, but like you've seen that's impossible because Oscorp is formed just by idiots, you've decided to make a cheap copy of my armor".

"It's not a copy, Stark. I've improved it, you want to see it?"

A machine gun came out of Harry's mechanical wrist. The machine gun._ I really hate that weapon_ Tony thought. Harry aimed it at Tony and shot, but he rolled to one side to dodge it. The blast missed him and opened a hole in the wall._ I'm sure that hole would be in my armor if that thing had hit me._

"You're gonna have to do it better than that if you want to defeat me" Tony said cockily.

"No problem".

Harry started shooting various blasters of energy, giving Tony no time to rest. At the same time, Tony shot at the villain, but none of them were hurting the opponent. _We could spend hours like this and no one would win_ Tony thought. He was growing impatient and wanted to finish the fight right then so he said:

"This is a little boring, don't you think? Why don't we test whose blasters are more powerful and end this once and for all?"

Harry didn't need to be told twice. He shot a ray of energy at Tony and the billionaire did the same thing. The two rays crashed halfway and both Harry and Tony pushed with all his strength. Inside his Iron-Man suit, Jarvis' voice warned Tony:

"Sir, this action is extremely inadvisable. You're overheating your suit and the accumulation of so much energy can have unpredictable consequences".

But Tony didn't listen, as usual. He had never followed other people's advices and he wasn't going to start now. Both rays were forming a ball of energy that was growing more and more, but neither Harry nor Tony was backing out. Tony knew this was the point of no return, the important question was whether the ball would hit him or Harry. He increased the energy until the limits of his armor to move the ball towards Harry, but the villain was doing the same thing so they were stuck.

Natasha stopped shooting when she realized what was happening. The ball was occupying a fourth part of the room and was glowing with a blinding intensity._ Oh, shit_ she thought. Before she could do something, the ball exploded. The last thing she felt was flying across the room and hitting her head with something.

* * *

Peter opened his eyes slowly. At first he didn't know what had happened but then everything came rushing back to him. He had been fighting against Kraven when the room had exploded._ Thank God I got Gwen out._ He had only survived because of his spider strength, if Gwen had been with him, she would have been dead. Peter was sure the hunter hadn't caused the explosion because he hadn't had any sort of bomb with him. Besides, as far as Peter knew, Kraven didn't have suicide desires. But he would have time to think about that later. His main objective right now was to push away the debris he was buried under. He pushed, trying not to breathe the dust, until he saw light and got out.

Peter took a deep breath that ended up with him coughing painfully._ Great. Broken ribs because the day wasn't going well enough_ he thought sarcastically. He looked around. The room was completely destroyed, the floor covered with remains of furniture and crystal. The roof had disappeared, and the windows were broken. Peter could hear people on the street screaming and running away without understanding what had happened._ At least this time there's not any doppelgänger trying to frame me._ He turned around and what he saw made him gasp.

The wall that separated the room from the next one was gone. The other room that looked like it had been a laboratory, was even in a worse state than the one where he had been fighting against Kraven. Suddenly, the debris on the floor moved, and Iron-Man got out.

"This was a really bad idea" he muttered.

"So it was you".

Tony raised his head when he heard Spider-Man's voice.

"What are you doing here?" he asked the masked man.

"Admiring the landscape, what do you think? The whole city knows that you're fighting here, I guessed you could use some help. And I can't refuse the chance of kicking Harry's ass".

"Not fair. I want to be the one who catches that bastard".

"I have more rights".

"He copied my suit".

"He tried to kill me twice".

"OK, you win".

"Not need of fighting for me. I can kill both of you".

Peter and Tony turned around and saw Harry flying above them. His armor was almost intact, to the heroes' dismay.

"I'm glad you came, Spider-Man. I hope now we can finish what we started".

"Of course".

Tony was already aiming at Harry to take care of him. He didn't want Spider-Man to fight against the villain after what had happened the last time. He liked the hero, and didn't want to see him dead. But then, something slammed into his side and sent him flying across the room. He groaned, and thought _that hurt._ The metallic foot of the Rhino kicked him in the stomach, knocking the breath out of him. Tony aimed his arm at the villain and shot him. The Rhino stumbled and Tony let out a sigh of frustration.

"Jarvis" Tony said. "That blaster was supposed to send that bunch of metal to the North Pole at least. What happened?"

"Your last...strategy" Jarvis said with clearly disapproval. "has emptied the amount of energy almost completely".

Tony sighed.

"It was a really bad idea".

"Allow me to say, sir: I told you so".

"Thanks Jarvis. That's really helpful" Tony said sarcastically.

_Well, at least my armor still works...barely, but I could defeat that idiot with one hand, I think._

* * *

Peter launched himself at Harry, who dodged him easily. He clung to the wall and started to shoot web balls at the villain, but Harry dodged them and shot various blasters of energy at him. The teenager had to do all sorts of jumps to avoid getting hit. _Damn armor_ Peter thought. _Iron-Man has the same one and defeating him wasn't so hard._ On the other hand, Tony hadn't wanted to kill him.

His spider-sense tingled and Peter jumped just in time to dodge a blade. He turned around and saw Kraven. He had some minor injures but otherwise he looked fine. _What a shame!_ Peter thought. He had to admit the situation didn't look well. He had the same bad feeling he had had at the docks. He felt trapped.

Kraven had another blade in his hand, ready to throw it at him, but Peter shot a web ball at the weapon, sending it away. Without barely time to react, Peter ducked. He could almost feel the blaster of energy passing above his head. Kraven took advantage of the moment to get closer and punch him in the face. Peter staggered, and rolled to one side to dodge the hunter's foot which was heading towards his stomach. _I can't fight against the two of them_ he thought desperately.

"You're so brave, guys!" Peter said sarcastically. "Two against one. You don't have courage enough to fight me individually!"

In response, his spider-sense tingled and he jumped to dodge a blaster of energy. He turned around and shot a web ball at Harry's mask leaving him blind. Harry cursed, and tried to get rid of the sticky web. Peter couldn't help but smile. His spider-sense warned him again (really, he didn't know what he would do without that ability) and grabbed Kraven's arm just in time to avoid getting stabbed by a blade. But then, a blaster of energy hit him in the back, making fall to his knees.

"You didn't think you could defeat me with a trick so simple like that one, right?" Harry said.

Peter got up, but he knew it was too late. Kraven was standing so close to him he could feel his breath (and it wasn't a pleasant smell). The only thing he could do was to move to the right, so that Kraven stabbed him in the stomach, and not in the chest like it was his initial intention.

It still hurt like hell, though. He fell on one knee, clutching his side. It felt like he was on fire, and he could feel the blood leaking through his fingers swiftly.

"Now you are not so confident, are you?"

Peter looked up at Harry, who was looking at him with a triumphant smile.

"Finally you're going to pay for what you did to me, Peter".

Harry grabbed him by the neck and pointed at him with the metallic arm. Peter could see the beam of energy._ If I don't do something, he's going to kill me_ he thought, desperately. He swung his feet and kicked Harry in the stomach. Even though it didn't hurt him physically thanks to his armor, the villain didn't expect the sudden movement and dropped Peter onto the floor because of the surprise. In other circumstances Peter would have fallen on his feet and sprung back into action.

This time however, at the moment he was standing the world spun around him and his knees gave up. He fell to the ground and, even though a part of his brain was screaming at him to get up, he couldn't. His vision was blurry and he just wanted to sleep. He closed his eyes and let the darkness surround him. But then, a sharp pain brought him to reality. He moaned and opened his eyes again. Kraven had put his foot over the wound of his side.

"You can't sleep yet, bug. I want my preys to be conscious when I kill them".

Then he pressed on the wound, hard and Peter cried out. It wasn't just pain, it was agony. Tears rolled down his cheeks and Peter was glad he had the mask on, though that was the least of his problems. The only thing that didn't let Peter beg Kraven to stop was his pride. If he had to die, at least he was going to do it with dignity. After endless moments (that's what seemed to him), Kraven removed the foot and Peter lay there, gasping for breath and with his mind clouded because of the pain.

"Bye, little bug. You've been a good opponent".

Great. A compliment from the man who's going to kill me Peter thought. He saw the glint of the blade, and a wave of anger swept over him. Anger because that time the villains would get what they wanted because people would remember him as a murderer, because he was going to break his aunt's heart and Gwen's too. _Why does it have to end like this?_

* * *

**A/N: Yes, I'm a bad person, I know. I didn't intend to finish this chapter here when I started it, but if I had kept writing, the chapter would have been too long, like more of 3000 words and I don't like making the chapters so long. Good news is I have two scenes of the next chapter already written because I wanted to include them in this one but I didn't so I'll probably publish it on the weekend if nothing happens. Bad news is that I start college tomorrow and I'm saying it because I like to complain about it XD.**

**I really want to thank you for your support. I can't answer you individually because it would take me too long, but your awesome reviews always amaze me. Well, I hope you've enjoyed the chapter (or suffered it depends) and if you've liked, leave me a review!**


	20. Chapter 20

Captain America opened his eyes slowly. What had happened? But then he remembered. _Damned Tony and his ideas._ He pushed away the debris and got out. He could feel blood dripping from his forehead and his vision was slightly unfocused. Suddenly, a piercing scream rang through the room. A shiver ran down his spine. Steve had heard a lot of screams in the battlefield, but never one like that. It sounded like someone who was being tortured. _What if it's a member of my team?_ he thought, alarmed. He turned his head towards the direction of the sound and saw Kraven with his blade raised, about to kill Spider-Man who was unconscious on the floor and Harry Osborn watching the scene with a vicious smile.

Steve didn't think it twice. He grabbed his shield and threw it at Kraven who was slammed into the wall, and knocked out. Harry pointed at Spider-Man. He didn't care about Captain America, he just wanted to get his revenge. And that was his biggest mistake because, before he could even realize, Steve punched him in the face and put himself in front of Spider-Man. He picked up the shield and used it to protect himself from the blasts Harry was shooting at him.

"Why do you always have to get in my way?" Harry yelled, completely out of control.

"We are not going to let you kill him. Not now or ever, Osborn".

Harry growled (there was no other way to describe it) and shot at Captain America repeatedly. The hero thanked God for his shield, because he was pretty sure he would be dead without it._ Now it would be a good time to get reinforcements_ Steve thought. As if someone had been listening, an arrow hit Harry's armor and exploded. The villain crashed against the wall, and Steve let out a sigh of relief.

"You're lucky I'm here, Cap" Clint said holding the bow in his hand.

"Where are the others?"

"Natasha is trying to wake up Bruce, who has turned into his non-Hulk self again, and Tony is fighting against the Rhino. When did Spider-Man arrive?"

"No idea" Steve answered and knelt beside the masked hero. Then, he noticed the blood forming a pool under him. "Shit, he's hurt". He localized the wound on his side. It looked like a deep stab. Steve remembered that when he woke up, Kraven'd had his foot over Spider-Man's side. He looked at the corner where the hunter was slumped, feeling sudden desires of smashing his head with his shield. But the most important thing was to get out of the building and get Spider-Man help.

"Clint, press your hands over the wound and try to stop the bleeding".

"Where are you going?" the bowman asked.

"To help Tony so we can get out of this damned place".

* * *

Tony was having serious troubles defeating the Rhino. If his armor had been at 100 percent, the fight would have been over a long time ago, but in those conditions... He couldn't even throw a decent punch without breaking his hand. Tony had been trying to tire him out but the only one who was getting tired was the own Tony. And there was the matter of the scream. The two adversaries had frozen when they heard it before resuming the fight again. But Tony couldn't focus. He needed to finish the fight in that instant and find out what the hell had happened. If someone had been hurt.

"Hey, head-horn. Why don't we call it a tie?"

"You're giving up so soon, tin can?"

The Rhino launched himself at him and Tony tried to take off flying, just to hear jarvis' voice saying:

"Sir, I'm afraid you have consumed your energy reserves. Flying is unavailable".

Today is my lucky day Tony thought sarcastically. He rolled to one side, just in time to dodge the Rhino's horns. Then, he had an idea. The villain wasn't the brightest bulb precisely, and lured him into a trap would be easy. He put himself in front of the hole that showed there had been a window there before, and said:

"You know? You're lucky you're protected by that armor or I would have destroyed the neurons you have by now. Oh, wait, I had forgotten you have none!"

The Rhino's face turned red, and he yelled:

"I'm going to kill you!"

The Rhino charged towards him, this time with more force that the other ones. Actually, it was a frightening sight, and Tony started to question the sanity of his plan, but he couldn't back out now. He rolled to one side just seconds before the villain hit him, and fell to the ground. The Rhino, unable to stop, broke through the wall and fell to the street. Tony was pretty sure the five floors falling hadn't killed him (unfortunately), but he wouldn't be able to go into the tower again any time soon. Then, Captain America came into the room and Tony sighed, expecting a lecture for causing the explosion, but the moment he saw his face Tony knew something really bad had happened.

"We have to leave, right now" Steve said.

* * *

"How do we get out?"

The moment Bruce saw the situation, he took Clint's place beside Spider-Man putting pressure on the wound. The masked hero moaned, but didn't wake up, which wasn't a good sign. _If at least I could see the extent of the damage, maybe I could do something for him_ he thought. But it was impossible in those circumstances. And he couldn't help, but feel guilty. If the other guy hadn't taken control of him, none of this would have happened.

"We can use the Quinjet" Natasha answered. "We used to it to come here".

"And where is it?" Bruce asked harshly.

A buzz sounded nearby and the Quinjet appeared in front of the window. The door opened, and Clint shouted:

"Steve, Tony! Let's go before some of these idiots wakes up".

Steve and Tony came into the room swiftly, Tony swearing loudly upon seeing the hurt Spider-Man. Steve took the hero in his arms because he was the only one who could carry him easily, and they stepped into the Quinjet. Clint sat at the pilot seat, and asked:

"Where do we go?"

"To my tower" Tony said.

"Osborn will send his men to look for us there" Natasha replied.

"I'll take care of that, don't worry. Besides, we can't go to a hospital. We could ask Fury for help, but we don't know where the hell he is".

"Tony's right" Steve said. "The tower is our only viable option".

"Guys" Bruce called from his spot beside Spider-Man. "He's not breathing".

Tony cursed while he knelt beside Spider-Man. As Bruce had said, the hero's chest didn't move. He knew Spider-Man was pretty secretive with his identity, but keeping him alive was more important so Tony grabbed the mask and pulled it up. His eyes widened when he saw who he was.

He was so surprised that he forgot the fact that Peter wasn't breathing until Natasha pushed him aside. She began mouth-to-mouth breathing and Tony's heart could have stopped at that moment. He remembered how he had had a good connection with Peter immediately, with his witty remarks unusual for a teenager. The same connection he had had with Spider-Man. The most ironic thing was that Peter had told him to be careful when it had been him who had ended up fighting against two villains at once. _I don't know how I didn't realize_ he thought.

Natasha kept pumping air into Peter's lungs until he coughed. Tony let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Then, he shouted:

"When the hell are we going to arrive to the tower?"

"We're almost there" Clint answered nervously.

"Do you know him?" Natasha asked Tony

"Yes, I do. He was locked up in the cells with me. He said he had been caught stealing some documents of Oscorp".

"And why did he go wearing his civilian clothes?"

"Maybe because he didn't want to attract attention" Tony paused.

"We're here" Clint announced.

"And now, what?" Steve said. "We can't save him if the soldiers of HAMMER come into the building".

"I already know they'll come. That's why I have a secret room".

"You have a secret room, and we didn't know?" Clint asked incredulously.

"Where is it?" Bruce asked.

"On one of the top floors" Tony said. "C'mon, hurry up".

They took the elevator down one of the floors. It looked like a normal office until Tony walked towards the right wall and a panel appeared. Tony marked a code and the wall slid to one side, revealing a completely different floor. There was a living room with a kitchen, couches and a TV. At the back wall there was a hallway with various rooms.

"It's the first one at the left" Tony pointed out.

They went into the room and saw that it was equipped with medical supplies and a gurney in the center. Steve laid Peter on it.

"Do you think you can save him?" Clint asked Bruce.

Bruce put a face of total panic and said:

"You're crazy? The fact that I heal some minor wounds sometimes doesn't make me a doctor! I'm a scientist!"

"Bad luck because in case you haven't realized we don't have anyone else" Tony said.

"I could kill him".

"At least there's a chance that he'll survive" Steve said. "If you don't do anything, he'll die for sure".

Bruce sighed and looked at the now unmasked Spider-Man. Of all people the hero could be, the scientist had never thought he would be the teenager he had met at Dr. Barrimore's laboratory a few weeks ago. He had looked so happy and full of life, looking forward to finishing high school and going to college... Of course Osborn was still in Ravencroft in those days. _I can't let him die, he has so much to live yet_ he thought. Truth was Steve was right, he was the only chance the kid had. And that was a lot of pressure.

"Everybody get out".

"Why?"

"Because the room is too small. I just need one person to help me".

"I'll do it" Natasha answered.

The others sighed and got out, leaving Spider-Man's fate in Bruce's hands.

* * *

Clint, Tony and Steve were sat on the couches in the living room. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. Every minute seemed eternal to them, and Tony couldn't stand it anymore.

"It has been an hour. What the hell are they doing there?" Tony grumbled while he poured himself a drink (the third one, actually).

"Calm down, Tony" Clint said, and it was the worst thing he could have said because it only made Tony more nervous.

"Calm down? I can't calm down while there's a kid who hasn't even finished high school bleeding out in the next room!"

"This isn't your fault Tony. You couldn't have known".

"I know. He's the most secretive person I've ever met. But maybe if we had believed him when he told us he hadn't blown up Oscorp, none of this would have happened. We could have stopped Osborn before he turned too powerful and did this to him".

"That's everything you're sorry about, Tony?" Steve asked.

Tony kept silent, and Steve gave him a sad smile.

"I know you feel guilty for fighting Spider-Man when you believed he was the one who had attacked the Oscorp building. I feel the same way. If we had known who was beneath that mask, we would have stopped. But we didn't know and there's nothing we can do about it".

"He didn't tell us because he didn't trust us. And with good reason" Tony said.

There was nothing Steve could say to deny that because Tony was right so he just shrugged. At that moment, Natasha and Bruce came out of the room. The three Avengers stood up and Tony asked:

"How is he?"

"The stab was deep but it didn't damage any vital organs. His healing factor will help him heal faster so he should be fine after he rests enough".

The three of them let out a sigh of relief. They had a lot of problems (like having to hide in their own tower, for example), but knowing that Peter was going to live felt like a small victory. Now there was the little matter of how telling him they knew his identity. He wasn't going to take it well, all of the Avengers were pretty sure of that.

* * *

**A/N: I said I'd post this chapter on weekend, and here it is! Finally I make the Avengers discover Peter's identity, right? I hope you've liked it and I want to thank everyone for your support and amazing reviews. +90 follows, that's a lot! And if you've liked, leave a review.**


	21. Chapter 21

Peter opened his eyes, but the glint of the fluorescent lights made him close them again. _Where the hell am I?_ he thought, confused. The last thing he remembered was Kraven standing above him, ready to kill him. He didn't understand how he was still alive. _Maybe I'm still in the cell and I dreamed everything._ He touched his side, just to make sure what he had lived was real and not product of some horrible and extremely vivid nightmare. He had to bite his lip until he felt blood to avoid screaming._ OK, it wasn't a dream._ He sat up slowly though his side hurt like hell anyway no matter how careful he was, and looked around. It looked like a hospital room, which made no sense. Peter tried to find a logical explanation about how he had ended up there, but couldn't think of anything. _You know what? I don't care. I'm getting out of here_ he thought. He had to find Gwen and his aunt and let them know he was fine. He was sure they were worried sick about him and he hated making them suffer because of him.

There was a small window beside the bed. He opened it and looked down. It was a high building but he had his web-shooters...

Blame the dizziness or the confusion but he didn't realize he was bare chested and without mask until that moment. Whoever had brought him knew his identity. _He knows my face but not my name. I have to get out of here before he or she decides to ask questions._ He looked around and saw a white t-shirt laid on a chair, but no sign of his suit. He sighed, and put the t-shirt on. He would have to climb down the building and pray no one would look up and see the wall-crawler teenager.

* * *

The Avengers were in the living room having breakfast. After the previous stressful day, they had been exhausted and the last thing they had wanted had been talking about HAMMER. They had decided to put aside the matter until they'd had some rest. The only break had been the shifts they had made to be sure Peter was fine, but he had been unconscious since the disastrous fight at Oscorp and didn't look like he was going to wake up any time soon.

But they couldn't keep avoiding the problem eternally, so there they were, trying to make a plan to defeat Osborn, or at least, improve their actual situation.

"He has more resources than us" Natasha said. "Besides the four freaks, he has the soldiers that belong to HAMMER"

"Yeah, I wonder how he got them" Tony replied.

"It's obvious HYDRA has helped Osborn since the beginning" Steve said, ignoring Tony's sarcasm. "If we take down HAMMER, we'll take down HYDRA too".

"How do we do that Spangles?" Tony asked while he chewed a piece of bread.

Steve glared at Tony. He knew the sarcasm was the billionaire's way of confronting difficult situations, but he really hated it when Tony called him Spangles.

"We need to contact Fury" Clint interrupted. "He has enough men to help us".

"Or not" Tony said. "For all we now, the agents of SHIELD have decided not to sink with the captain".

"The agents of SHIELD are not like that" Clint said. "They're not going to abandon Fury".

"But Fury has abandoned us! He could have helped us at Oscorp. He could even have helped me get out of that cell, but he didn't. And look what happened" he said, pointing at the room where Peter was resting.

"I never thought Spider-Man would be so young" Steve said. "I mean, how did he get his powers? Because of an experiment too?

"No idea" Tony answered. "He didn't tell me anything when I talked to him. We would have known by now if you had let me use the computer".

"We've already talked about it" Natasha said rolling her eyes. "He'll tell us what he wants to and we can't invade his privacy".

Tony was about to open his mouth to explain how privacy was overrated (he would have told Natasha that she wasn't the most adequate person to talk about privacy but he appreciated his life too much) when Jarvis' voice sounded.

"I'm sorry to interrupt this nice conversation" the AI said with a very ironic tone. "but it appears your guest is awake and trying to leave through the window".

"I'll go" Tony said standing up.

He walked towards the room and opened the door. Then, he yelled to Peter who had already a foot out of the window:

"Don't even think about it or I'll drag your ass back here even if I have to chase you through the city".

The teenager looked at him, with an expression of complete surprise. He tried to say something smart but all he managed to come up with was:

"Shit".

"Well, I hoped a "thanks for saving my life" but that's good too".

Before he could stop himself, Peter said:

"Excuse me if I'm not in a good mood. I don't like waking up in an unknown place with a stab wound".

"You're in my tower. Does that make you feel any better?"

"Not especially".

Tony groaned. Thirty seconds and he already wanted to strangle him, but he knew he had to be patient. The kid had woken up after almost dying and he must feel like crap. Tony would be even in a worse mood in his situation.

"Are you gonna get off that window?" he asked.

Reluctantly, Peter got off the window and closed it. Then, he swayed slightly, but Tony grabbed him by the arm before he could fall to the ground.

"You're okay?"

"Yeah. Just a little dizzy".

"It's normal, you lost a lot of blood. You should eat something".

Petee wanted nothing more than to get out of the tower, but it would be impossible if he passed out as soon as he walked two steps so he shrugged, and said:

"Maybe".

"Great" Tony said grinning. "Because we're having breakfast in the kitchen".

Peter took a deep breath. He didn't want to face all of the Avengers. As Spider-Man he would step in confidently, but as Peter Parker... He really didn't know what to say. The Avengers kept eating without looking at him because they didn't want to startle him even though they were dying to ask him questions. Peter sat with a groan (damned stab) and took a piece of bread. Thinking the silence was very awkward, he decided to ask:

"Does everyone knows that...?"

"Yes" they answered in unison.

"OK" Peter said, sighing. "Since there is no use in denying it, can I ask where my suit is?"

"That torn thing is useless" Tony said waving a hand.

"Please tell me you didn't throw it away". If Tony had destroyed his only suit, he'd kill him.

"I was tempted, but I didn't. I'm washing it, though. Blood stains are tricky to remove".

The rest of the Avengers glared at him and Natasha elbowed him.

"Ouch!" Tony said. "You have to stop doing that".

"I'll stop when you stop being a jerk".

That earned some laughs from the team, and even Peter smiled.

"You're all against me" Tony pouted.

"And my web-shooters?"

"On the table. I always thought that web of yours was organic".

"I stole the components from Oscorp to make it".

"That's why Osborn hates you so much?" Clint asked.

"Among other things".

He really didn't want to talk about the guy that had tried to kill him three times at that moment, the team saw that clearly so they didn't push.

"So you're really Dr. Barrimore's assistant or that was a lie to see the weapon closer?" Bruce asked.

The others didn't understand the question so the scientist explained:

"We've met before".

"You should have told us before, Bruce" Tony said. "Keeping information is against the rules".

Peter chuckled and then grimaced when the pain in his side flared.

"I really am Dr. Barrimore's assistant, but taking into account that I don't know how many times I haven't appeared in the laboratory these last weeks, I think I'm fired".

"This is so great!" Tony shouted.

"Since when being fired it's great?"

"I knew you were smart when I saw your web-shooters, but you also like science! Finally I have a science buddy besides Bruce".

"Tony, what did we say about not overwhelming him?" Steve warned him.

"I'm not overwhelming him. I'm offering him a job!"

Peter didn't know how to take that. Tony was his hero (though he would never tell him that, his ego was big enough already). Not because he was Iron-Man, but because he was a genius. He had always admired his technology and working with him would be his dream job. Then, Tony's cell phone rang and he picked it up.

"Hi, Pepper? Is something wrong?" Tony listened for a few moments. Then, he grinned and said. "Of course. Let her in".

"Tony this is a secret room" Natasha said. "You can't let in whoever you want to".

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing".

"Usually, when you say that it means the contrary".

The doors of the elevator opened and Peter's heart almost stopped because of the surprise.

"Gwen?"

"Thank God you're fine" Gwen said, running towards him and hugging him.

Peter grimaced because of the pain in his side, but he didn't care. He'd endure thousands of pains like that to be with Gwen. The girl let him go, and then slapped him in the face. Peter stood there, with a hand over his reddened cheek without understanding.

"Next time I tell you, sneaking into Oscorp is a bad idea, listen to me" she said angrily. "And don't throw me out of the building again while you stay there fighting against an armed psycho! I thought you were dead when I heard the explosion".

By that time, Gwen was crying, the sudden anger already forgotten. Peter cupped her face with his hands, and told her:

"Gwen, I'm sorry. I promise I won't do it anymore".

"Don't make me promises, please".

Peter chuckled "OK, I won't make promises".

Gwen smiled and wiped away her tears. Then, Peter remembered they weren't alone and blushed slightly when he saw the Avengers looking at them with amused expressions on her faces.

"You could have given us some privacy, you know?" Peter said, annoyed.

"There's no privacy in this tower, you better get used to it" Clint said.

Peter sighed. Of course it wasn't.

"Guys, this is Gwen Stacy, my girlfriend".

"We already figured that out" Natasha said.

"You don't know how much I wanted to meet you" Tony said offering his hand which Gwen shook. "I knew you were a temperamental girl when you talked to me on the phone".

"Yes, and you should be more accessible, Mr. Stark. Your security guards kicked me out twice".

_Nope, definite__ly Gwen doesn't have my shyness problems_ he thought. Tony, for his part, laughed and said:

"Call me Tony please. Do you want a toast?"

"Yeah, thanks" she said, sitting on one of the chairs, as if eating with the Avengers was the most common thing in the world. "Peter, you have to call your aunt. She called me to ask where you were and I told her you were staying with me because you had fallen asleep while doing homework together".

"Oh, no! I had forgotten it completely!"

Gwen gave him a dissaproving look and handed him her phone. He called his aunt and, after apologizing a thousand times for spending the night at Gwen's house without telling her, he hung up. He sighed. Lastly, he lied to his aunt a lot and, even though he knew it was to protect her, he couldn't help but feel guilty.

"You're okay?" Steve asked.

"I'm fine" another lie.

"Do you live with your aunt?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah, in Queens".

"A lot of people have seen Spider-Man there" Clint said. "Just saying".

"And your parents?" Steve asked.

"They died in a plain crash".

"I'm sorry" Steve said, kicking himself mentally for mentioning it. And I'm always saying Tony is the one who screws it up when he talks. Peter shrugged and said:

"It happened when I was a child. I barely remember them".

Gwen grabbed Peter's hand under the table. She knew how much his parents' death affected him, though he tried to hide it. Suddenly, the pain in his side, that had been dull until that moment, increased and Peter groaned, putting his hand over his wound. He took a deep breath, it was as if Kraven was stabbing him again.

"Peter, what's wrong?" Gwen asked, worried.

"Kraven stabbed me" Peter answered, his voice strained because of the pain.

Gwen was paralyzed for a moment and then shouted:

"I'm going to kill him! Why didn't you tell me anything?"

"I didn't want to worry you. I'm fine".

"You don't look fine".

"Ms. Stacy, the pain is normal during the first days. With Peter's healing factor the wound should be cured by tomorrow" Bruce assured her.

"I can't thank you enough for saving him" Gwen said.

Peter blushed slightly. He had never thought his girlfriend would have that kind of talk with the Avengers.

"It was the least we could do, we couldn't let him die" Steve said. "Besides, we're Avengers and we protect our own".

"But I'm not an Avenger" Peter replied.

"You could be, if you wanted to" Steve said.

"No, he can't" Tony said quickly.

Steve looked at the billionaire, without understanding and Peter could help, but feel betrayed by Tony's words. The teenager thought Tony liked him. _Obviously, I was wrong._

"You were his main defender when this started, Tony" Natasha said.

"He's too young" Tony said. "He's not even 18. He should be going to the high school, not fighting criminals by night".

"As a matter of fact, I go to the high school".

"I don't care, I think you should wait until you're older and more mature before making a choice so important. You're risking your life when you haven't even started it".

"Probably it will be the first and last time I say this, but I'm with Tony" Clint said. "The fact that you have powers doesn't mean you're forced to do this. You need to find reasons and motivation to keep doing what you do".

"I already have reasons and motivation" Peter replied. "I didn't become Spider-Man because I thought swinging through the city and beating up criminals was fun, or because I was trying to be like some hero of my childhood".

Then, he took a deep breath and told them everything about the death of his uncle. Gwen was holding his hand again, and Peter really appreciated it. He didn't know if he would be able to tell the story if she weren't with him.

"So that's my motivation. I don't want people to go through the same I had to suffer when I lost my uncle though it was my fault".

"Did you shoot him?" Steve asked.

Peter was a little taken aback by the question, and he answered confused:

"No, I didn't".

"It's not your fault, then. You were just a kid who has just gotten his powers and you had no idea what that thief would do. You're not responsible for his actions".

Peter gave him a sad smile. Steve's words helped him ease his guilt a little. It would never go away completely, but it was nice to hear those words said by Captain America.

Tony sighed. He had expected Peter to be a kid who didn't know what he was doing. Maybe it would be easier to convince him to quit like that. But no. He had to be the most mature teenager he had ever known. The kid had gone through a lot of crap. Things a person so young shouldn't experience, and he admired the fact that, instead of ruining his life, Peter had decided to use his powers to make the city a better place. _But he's so goddamn young_ he thought. _If he keeps doing this, he will end up dead before he's even twenty. Young, and stubborn too. I think it would be easier to convince a bird to stop flying than convince him to quit._

Before the argument could go on, Tony's phone rang. He picked it up and said:

"Hi again, Pepper! What? But, you're OK? Yeah, I'll do it, don't worry".

He hung up, and said to the team:

"HAMMER is turning this tower upside down. Pepper is keeping them from going to this floor for the moment, but we don't have much time".

"But I thought this floor was hidden" Bruce said.

"Yes, but HAMMER could find it. This place is not safe anymore".

"Any suggestions?" Clint asked.

All of them shook their heads. They couldn't even ask Fury for help because none of them knew where he was, and it's not as if they would go unnoticed in a hotel.

Suddenly, Peter had an idea._ How didn't I think of it sooner?_ He grinned and said:

"I know a perfect place".

* * *

**A/N: So here's the chapter, I was pretty nervous about it because it's the first conversation between the Avengers and Peter now that they know his identity, and I rewrote it a lot of times. I intended to make Fury appear in this chapter (I actually wrote the whole scene), but the chapter was too long like that, so I've left that part for the next chapter. You'll have to wait a little Batman111893 .**

**I have more than 100 follows! I'm so happy right now! You're so awesome! Thank you for your reviews (I laughed a lot with Nerdyicesk8er because the chapter is a little like that) and if you've liked it, leave another one!**


	22. Chapter 22

"I know it's not the Stark Tower, but..."

"You're crazy? This is like an Indiana Jones movie!"

Peter smiled at Tony's comment. He hadn't put a foot in the abandoned subway station for quite a while, but when he remembered it, he realized it was the perfect hideout. He was the only one who knew about its existence so no one would find them there.

It was a little weird seeing other people walking around his father's station. Seeing the Avengers was really, really weird.

"It's a good place to hide" Natasha said approvingly. "And you're truly the only one who knows it?"

"Gwen has been here too. It was the only place I could think of".

"It's great. Thanks, Peter, we don't know what we would have done without you" Steve said.

Peter refused to let his cheeks turn red because of Captain America's words.

"I'm curious. Why did your father have a secret laboratory here?" Clint asked.

"It's a long story" Peter said. OK, maybe it wasn't that long but he wasn't in the mood to tell it. He couldn't help but remember that video his father sent. It still hurt him and that's why he hadn't come into the station for so long. But he didn't want the Avengers to feel pity for him so he preferred not to say anything.

"What a nice reunion you have here".

They all turned around to see Fury standing in front of the doors of the subway station.

"Now you come, Fury? A little late, don't you think?" Tony said angrily.

"I came as soon as I heard about your fight against HAMMER. I've been busy".

"Everything is forgiven, then" the billionaire replied sarcastically. "We almost died, but you were busy".

"Could you please calm down?" Steve interrupted, trying to avoid a fight. "Arguing is not going to solve anything".

Fury walked towards the team and looked at Peter. The teenager avoided his gaze and tried to look away. He didn't mind if the Avengers knew his identity. There had been many fights and misunderstandings, but they had saved his life and were the Earth's Mightiest Heroes after all. SHIELD, instead, was a shady organization whose principal rule was the end justifies the means. People like SHIELD was one of the main reasons why Peter had decided to have a secret identity. To sum up, Peter didn't trust Fury and didn't want to have anything to do with him.

"Of all people, I would have never thought Richard Parker's son was Spider-Man" Fury said casually.

Peter was speechless. He had expected Fury to say many things, (like that he wanted to take him to SHIELD cells to dissect him and make weird experiments on him), but that caught him off guard completely.

"You knew my father?"

"Yes. He cooperated with SHIELD many times. He wanted to give the results of his research to us so we could unmask Oscorp. We've always known the company makes illegal experiments and it was our chance to prove it. But the plane accident happened and we couldn't do anything".

"It wasn't an accident" Peter said sharply. He had never liked it when someone called his parents' death an accident when it wasn't.

The Avengers heard the story with interest and sorrow. Peter's parents hadn't just died in a plane crash when he was a child but also had been killed by Norman Osborn because Peter's father had tried to do the right thing. _No wonder he has trust issues_ Steve thought.

"No, it wasn't" Fury said with a sad tone, something unusual for him "and now Harry is looking for that same research to create an army of super soldiers" Fury said.

"Again? I thought the idea of the super soldiers would be over after 75 years" Steve said. He was really tired of the super soldiers mess.

"What a shame because the research is gone" Peter felt a twinge of guilt, but he couldn't help it. He knew he should trust the Avengers at least, but that research was one of the only things his father had left him, one of the only things he had in common with a man he had never met. It made him feel closer to him in a way, and giving it up would be like giving up a part of him.

"Yeah, it's a shame" Fury said with a tone that showed he didn't believe the teenager. "Are you sure you don't know where it is? Because if you're lying to me..."

"Leave him alone, Fury" Natasha said. "He said he doesn't know anything".

"Romanoff, I have to..."

But Natasha didn't let him finish. She got up and gave him a death glare. Peter decided that he didn't want to face one of those glares ever. Fury looked at the other Avengers who were also giving him hostile looks and, finally, the director of SHIELD sighed and said:

"You're the most stubborn group of people I've ever known. Fine, I won't ask him anymore, but I don't believe him. And you" he said turning to Peter "better keep that research safe, if you have it of course" he added with a mocking tone "because if Harry Osborn gets his hands on it we're doomed. And I don't think your father would want his work to be used like that".

He turned around to get out, but then he stopped and said:

"You know my number. When you need my help, call me"

Fury got out and the place fell into silence, with the Avengers trying to think of a way of solving that situation and Peter digesting the news about his father and his connection with SHIELD. Peter knew he couldn't be in that station anymore. Everything was a reminder of his father's secrets and lies. He felt like he was running out of air, and even though he knew it was an irrational idea, he thought he was going to suffocate if he stayed just one more minute there. He said to the team:

"I have to go to my house and see if my aunt is fine".

He ran away from the station and none of the Avengers tried to stop him. They understood that Peter needed some time to be alone. Steve also got up and said:

"I'm going to stretch my legs a little bit. Too many emotions in a single day".

Actually, that was an excuse to catch up with Fury and talk to him. The hero saw him just when he was turning the corner and called him.

"Rogers if you want to tell me how I should have helped you, you can save it".

"How bad is the situation at SHIELD?"

If Fury was surprised by the question, he didn't show it.

"It's not good. Half of our agents have resigned or are working for HAMMER. And I'm afraid that, if the situation doesn't change quickly, the rest will quit too despite my efforts to keep the morale up".

"I guess that's why you have been busy".

"Yeah. I would have explained it to you if Tony had let me talk".

"You know how he is".

"So, that's everything you wanted to tell me?"

"I actually want to ask you something else. This situation is one of the worst we've ever faced. People hate us and there's a lunatic in the power who will end up killing everybody".

"I already know that. Get to the point".

Steve sighed. People were more patient in his time.

"What I mean is that we need backup no matter how hard it is to get".

"Who are you thinking about?"

"Do you have Jane Foster's number?"

Fury grinned and gave him the number before leaving. Steve sighed and looked at the card with the number. He really didn't think it would work but he had to try it. He came back to the subway station where Tony was waiting for him.

"Why did you go to talk with Fury?"

Steve smiled. He had forgotten Tony was one of the smartest people on Earth and hiding something from him wasn't easy at all.

"So you didn't believe my excuse?"

"It was one of the worst excuses I've ever heard, Cap. You don't know how to lie".

He shrugged. It was an ability he didn't have any interest in learning.

"I asked him how things were going at SHIELD".

"I don't think it's a picnic, precisely".

"Do you always have to be so cynic?"

"I'm not cynic, I'm realistic. Or are you gonna tell me that I'm wrong?"

'No, you're not" Steve answered sighing.

"We have to take down HAMMER" Tony said "and soon, before we run out of allies".

"Yeah, but we need a plan. We can't go in there blindly".

"I know, but we can't wait much more".

"Peter knows Osborn pretty well. Maybe he can help us defeat him".

"I don't think he'll be very useful taking into account that Osborn almost killed him twice. In fact, I don't think he should help us. He's just going to get himself killed".

Steve burst out laughing suddenly. Tony stared at him, the avenger didn't laugh often. _And when he does_ Tony thought angrily _it's because he's laughing at me. Unbelievable!_

"What are you laughing at, Spangles?"

"I never thought I'd see this side of you, Tony".

"What side?"

"Your overprotective side".

"I'm not overprotective, I just don't want a seventeen-year-old teenager to get killed".

"And what are you gonna do? Restrain him?"

"It's a good idea, now that you mention it".

"Do I have to remind you that he fought against us and escaped, Tony? Try to attack him and he'll kick your ass. And you won't be able to convince him not to help us either. He's as stubborn as you".

"What am I supposed to do, then?"

"Help him. That's all we can do. I'm not happy about this either Tony. In my time teenagers signing in the army was legal but I was never comfortable with it. But this city needs Spider-Man".

"Do you know how many people have called him menace? That doesn't sound as if they like him, let alone need him".

"You know? I don't watch TV a lot, as you well know. But one day I was watching a debate about whether the vigilantes are good or bad for society. It got my attention. And there was a woman defending Spider-Man, saying he had saved her life when she was going to her house from work. A thief attacked her with a knife and Spider-Man stopped him. Jameson, the director of that newspaper that is always publishing bad news about Spider-Man called her a liar. Soon, there were a lot of calls from people saying something similar. They were so many that Jameson had to shut up. All those people that called would have been dead without him".

Tony sighed.

"I wish you didn't give speeches so convincing, Cap. Fine, I won't convince him to quit, but I'm going to convince him to be an Avenger, so he'll have backup the next time he has to fight a giant lizard! And I won't take no for an answer!"

Steve grinned. Peter didn't have a chance.

* * *

Peter walked towards his house. After the weird turns his life had taken in the last days, seeing his neighborhood of Forest Hills felt familiar and comforting. He remembered the days where he was just a normal teenager, not Spider-Man. Sometimes, he wished he had never gotten his powers. His life was easier back then, when he didn't have to fight giant reptiles and creatures made of electricity. On the other hand, who would have fought them if he hadn't had his powers? None of the Avengers were in the city those times. Sure, they would have come back eventually to solve the situation, but hundreds would have died by that moment. Besides, the Avengers were too busy solving global crises to take care of the petty criminals and thieves. People who didn't threaten with destroying countries but destroyed families with their actions. He didn't regret having his powers. Thanks to them, he helped people and he wouldn't change that for anything.

Finally, he arrived at his house. _Home sweet home_ he thought with a grin. He opened the door and gasped at what he saw. Everything was turned upside down, as if a tornado had taken place in his living room. _What the hell?_ Peter thought.

"Aunt May!" he shouted, but didn't receive any answer.

_What if Harry has kidnapped her?_ he thought desperately. He had never told her he was Spider-Man to protect her, to avoid something like this to happen. If she was hurt because of who he was, he just couldn't stand it.

"Peter?" came his aunt's voice from upstairs.

Peter had never felt so relieved in his whole life. Though that relief was short-lived when he saw his aunt coming downstairs. She was extremely sad and, even though she wasn't crying at that moment, the tears were still fresh on her face.

"What happened?" Peter asked, though he was afraid he already knew the answer.

"I went shopping and when I came back the house was like this. A neighbor told me he saw those new agents".

"HAMMER?"

"Yes, those. How could they do this, Peter? We haven't done anything" she said with tears rolling down her cheeks.

Peter hugged her. Seeing his aunt so distraught made him feel heartbroken and guilty. _This is my fault. She shouldn't suffer because of me. What would have happened if she had been here when the soldiers of HAMMER came?_ he thought. But he already knew the answer. They would have taken her and only God knows what would have happened then. _Maybe that was their initial intention, maybe Harry sent them to get her._ He hugged her more tightly, the only thought of losing her paralyzed him.

"Don't worry, Peter. I'm fine" she assured him.

Peter didn't answer because he had a lump in his throat._ Her house is destroyed because of me and she's the one comforting me._

"But I'm going to the Oscorp tower to demand explanations" his aunt said with determination.

"I don't think that's a good idea".

"We have to fight for our freedom, Peter. We live in a democracy, not in a tyranny where soldiers can break into people's houses".

"Harry Osborn has a lot of power. He's not gonna listen to you".

"I don't care! If I have to demand him, I will and you're not going to change my mind".

No, he wasn't, not with the arguments he was giving her. He could see it in her eyes. She had that stubborn expression Peter had inherited from her, and if she went into Oscorp Harry would kill her just to make him suffer. He sighed. _This has gone too far._

"Aunt May, we have to talk".

* * *

**A/N: Here's a new chapter! These are the final stages of the fic, I hope to finish it before coming to thirty chapters. I didn't intend to include a scene like the last one in the fic but then I thought it was a good idea, so yes Nerdyicesk8er, aunt May is going to have a heart attack very soon :-)**

**I want to thank Guest of Honor for giving me the idea of the Avengers hiding in the subway station of TASM2. And also everyone who has left a review, you're awesome and your support helps me continue the story a lot! I think I don't need to say it anymore but if you've liked the chapter, leave a review.**


	23. Chapter 23

"What do you want to talk about?"

"I think it's better if you sit down".

Oddly, the couch was still in one piece so his aunt sat while Peter looked around him nervously. He really didn't know how he was going to do this. _What if she gets angry with me? Or if she tells me she doesn't want me to be his nephew anymore? Maybe she hates Spider-Man._ He had to stop freaking out and tell her something, because she was giving him weird looks.

"Do you remember Harry Osborn and I were childhood friends?"

"Yeah, I do".

"Well, when he came back to New York, he asked me to do something and I refused. He got angry and that's why his men broke into our house today. This is my fault and I'm sorry, but if you go to Oscorp, Harry will hurt you just to hurt me. And I can't lose you".

OK, technically it was the truth, he was just omitting a few things.

"Oh, Peter, you're not going to lose me but Harry doesn't have any right to do this, no matter what you have done to him".

"It's complicated, aunt May" he said because if he kept talking he'd have to tell her the whole truth, and he was too afraid to do that.

"Why?"

"Because I'm not sure if I did the right thing".

"You're a good boy, Peter. I'm sure that, whatever you did, you did it with your best intention".

Peter sighed.

"Just promise me you're not going to Oscorp, aunt May".

"I promise".

He let out a breath of relief. _Well, that's one problem less_ he thought.

"Great. Then, pack your things. We have to leave".

"And where do we go, Peter? We don't have another place to stay".

"Yeah, we do".

Before his aunt could ask more questions, Peter ran upstairs to check his bedroom. It was even more destroyed than the rest of the house. Harry's orders, he was sure. He got down and searched between the pieces of furniture. Nothing. The designs Gwen had stolen from Oscorp were gone._ Shit_ he thought. The device he had made to defeat the Vulture was still there, though._ Probably Harry's goons were too stupid to recognize what it was._ He was lucky he had decided to hide his father's research in another place a while ago. He recalled Fury telling him they were doomed if Harry got his father's research, and shuddered. He sighed and picked up the device from the floor. _What a mess_ he thought, looking at the remains of his room with pity.

"What is that, Peter?"

He almost jumped to the ceiling when he heard his aunt's voice behind him. _Thanks for nothing, spider-sense_. Of course, he didn't consider his aunt a threat so his spider-sense wasn't very useful with her. But he was starting to rethink his decision with the looks her aunt was giving him. He quickly hid the device behind his back.

"It's nothing".

"Peter, since Ben died" her voice choked a little when she said her husband's name, "you've never been the same. The first weeks you appeared bruised almost every night and you never answered my questions. I let it go because I knew you were having a hard time. But I know that you've been hiding something from me since that night. Something that is directly related with this, I guess, and I'm done. I won't move from here if you don't tell me the truth. The entire truth".

Peter was pretty impressed. He hadn't thought his aunt knew so much and he felt a little guilty for worrying her for so long. He also knew there was no way he was escaping this time. Trying to change the subject would be useless. He took a deep breath. His heart was beating so hard he thought even his aunt could hear it. Now or never. He picked up his bag, opened it and grabbed his suit. He showed it to his aunt who let out a small gasp.

"This is why I told you it was complicated. Are you angry with me?"

Suddenly, Peter felt like he was 5 years old again and his world could shatter if his aunt told him that she was upset with him. His aunt grabbed his hand and told him:

"I'm hurt, Peter, because you should have told me this before. But angry? No, I could never be angry with someone who has helped this city so much".

Peter felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He hugged his aunt and let some tears roll down his cheeks. He was just so glad his aunt didn't hate him or consider him a monster.

"But, what are you going to do, Peter?" his aunt said with worry. "Everyone is looking for you after the attack at the Oscorp tower".

"It wasn't me, aunt May. It was Harry".

"I know you didn't do it. I had doubts before, it was strange seeing a hero behaving like that. But now that I know you are Spider-Man, I'm sure you didn't do it. Oh, god" she said suddenly, "does Harry know your identity?"

Peter nodded.

"That's why he broke into the house. Aunt May I'm so sorry, this is all my fault".

"Don't you dare blame yourself, Peter Parker. You just tried to make the city a better place so no one had to go through what we suffered. And you've helped a lot of people. I've never been more proud of you".

Peter looked at her with surprise. It hadn't passed even a minute since his aunt knew the truth and she had already figured out his reasons to become Spider-Man. His aunt must have read his expression because she laughed and said:

"I know you since you didn't even walk. Don't look so surprised" Then, she added. "But, what are we going to do? You can't face Harry alone".

"Luckily, I have very good friends" Peter said grinning.

* * *

Clint and Natasha were training. Although there wasn't much space, they had found a good place to train behind the subway. Clint pointed at Natasha and shot, but she dodged the arrow easily. Then, she got closer and tried to punch him in the face without success.

"You know?" Clint said while he dodged Natasha's punches. "I'm done of being here".

"We've been in worse places, remember?"

"I know, but this is so unfair. We're here while that idiot is out there, laughing at us".

"Don't worry, we won't have to wait much longer".

That statement surprised Clint and Natasha took advantage of the moment to kick him in the stomach. The bowman doubled over and gasped.

"You got distracted" Natasha said grinning.

"And whose fault is that? What do you mean with we won't have to wait much longer?"

"Sometimes, I think you haven't learned anything from me. Tony and Steve have been talking the whole day".

"And?"

"If you had been paying attention, you would have realized that it's obvious they're planning something".

Clint recalled his teammates' attitude that day. They had been serious and had barely talked to the others. He wanted to kick himself for not noticing before. Spies are supposed to see those kinds of things.

"Yes, you're right" he finally said. "But why haven't they told us? They think they can do whatever they want to without us?".

Natasha smiled and said:

"Well, both of them like to think they are the leaders of the team. Nothing further from the truth, but it's better to let them think that. We don't want to hurt their egos, do we? Anyway, I'm sure they'll tell us soon".

"I hope so or I'll get the truth from them. Hey, who's the one with Peter?"

Natasha looked at the direction Clint was pointing. Peter had returned accompanied by an elderly woman. She was looking around, stunned by the station. Natasha got up and got closer to them. She could hear the woman saying:

"Are you seriously telling me that your father was the one who made this place?"

"Yeah, he had many secrets" Peter said with a hint of resentment in his voice.

The woman held his hand and Peter gave him a sad smile._ It is obvious they have a deep connection_, Natasha thought.

"You're feeling better, Peter?" she asked.

"Yeah, Natasha, thanks for asking. Aunt May, this is Natasha Romanoff, one of the friends I talked to you about".

So she was her aunt. Natasha frowned. Peter had told them his aunt didn't know he was Spider-Man and suddenly, he appears with her there.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Parker. Peter has told us a lot of things about you".

"Nothing bad, I hope. And call me May".

"Of course".

"HAMMER broke into our house today" Peter explained. "That's why I brought her here".

"If I had known that a lunatic breaking into our house was what you needed to tell me you're Spider-Man, I would have let Harry in with my arms open".

"I swear I was..."

"Don't tell me I swear I was gonna tell you, young man. We both know it's not true".

Natasha pressed her lips together and tried not to laugh. She would have never thought she would see Spider-Man being lectured.

"This is Peter's place, so he's free to let stay whoever he wants. And you're more than welcome here, May".

"Thanks. I bought some things on the way".

"I don't think you really needed to go to the supermarket" Peter said.

"If we have to stay here, we need supplies".

"You're totally right" Clint, who had walked towards them, said. "I'm Clint Barton" he added extending his hand, which Peter's aunt shook.

Then, Tony and Steve came in.

"I have to tell you some...Those are fries?" Tony asked. Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed the bag, and opened it. "Great, I was so hungry!" he said with the mouth full of fries.

Steve looked at him, disbelievingly, and took the bag from his hands.

"Hey!" Tony protested.

"Could you show some manners?" Steve said, and then turned to Peter's aunt. "I apologize for his behavior. He is worse than a five-year old".

"A very intelligent five-year-old" Tony said. "You must be Peter's aunt. I finally meet you! I've been trying to convince Peter that he should bring you here to meet the wonderful person who raised him but he's stubborn as a mule".

"Thanks for the compliment, Mr. Stark, but I haven't forgotten the way you treated my nephew, when you thought he had blown up that tower" .

"Aunt May!" Peter said, blushing. _Please, tell she's not going to lecture the Avengers._

"No, let her talk, Peter. She's right" Bruce said. "We're really sorry for that, and we've already apologized to Peter. We're trying to make things right and help him in any way we can".

"By taking down Osborn!" Tony said triumphantly. "That's what I wanted to tell you, we have a plan".

Natasha gave Clint a look that said: I told you so.

* * *

Harry was furious. Peter had escaped again._ The Avengers are the ones causing all this_ he thought enraged. He hated them almost as much as he hated Spider-Man. If it weren't for them, his enemy would be dead by now. Harry had hurt Spider-Man fatally and he had been so close to kill him.. There was the possibility that Peter hadn't survived his injuries, but that was too good to be true. He didn't want to take any risk so preferred to think Peter was still alive.

"Osborn!"

Harry rolled his eyes and turned around. Von Strucker was standing under the threshold, looking at him angrily._ I don't think he knows another expression_ Harry thought.

"What can I do for you, Von Strucker?" Harry said pretending to be happy to see the general of HYDRA.

"You've been in the power for some time, Osborn, and I don't see any improvement".

"Any? Really? The Avengers are out of the game, just like you wanted".

"They would be out of the game if they were dead, but they are not. In fact, we don't even know where they are".

"They'll come out of their hideout sooner or later".

"Yeah, with a plan to defeat us, probably".

Suddenly, Harry burst out laughing and said:

"How are they going to do that? We have an entire army of agents of HYDRA plus my...special allies. They have nothing. Their only possible support, SHIELD, is ruined, half of their agents are working for me now. So much for loyalty. They are alone".

"I'm not so sure. They're like cockroaches, you have to crush them many times until they're dead".

Harry grinned._ And when I'm done with them, you'll be the next I'll crush._

"Follow me" he said. "I want to show you something, Von Strucker".

They stepped into the elevator and Harry pressed the button of the laboratories. He hadn't intended to take Von Strucker to the labs but maybe that would show him to have more trust in him and stop breathing down his neck. When the doors opened, Von Strucker asked impatiently:

"What are we doing here, Osborn? I don't like it when my time is wasted".

"I want to show you a project I'm working on" Harry said while he opened a metal door. "It's top secret. Just a few scientists know about it".

The door opened, showing a room almost as big as an entire floor. The room was divided into large rows of cells. Von Strucker had seen many things in his life and didn't get surprised easily, but he couldn't help but gasp when he saw the contents of the cells. Harry just smiled viciously, glad that he had wiped off that hateful expression of superiority from his face.

"Osborn" Von Strucker said, his voice no longer firm, "I don't know whether you are a genius or a lunatic".

"That doesn't matter. The important thing is that with this, Spider-Man and the Avengers won't have a chance".

* * *

**A/N: I thought I wouldn't be able to post the chapter this weekend because I had two exams this week and I've been really busy. But here it is! Yay!**

**I've tried to write the conversation between Peter and his aunt the more faithfully possible, I hope you liked it. The final battle starts in the next chapter, and that cliffhanger will be involved. Answering to a question from Batman 11893: Gwen has a family who also needs to know she's okay so she went to see them though I didn't put it in the story explicitly. My bad!**

**I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed/followed/favorited. You're awesome and your support helps me continue the story a lot! :-)**


	24. Chapter 24

Peter put his suit on. _How I have missed i_t he thought. Tony had fixed it and it was as good as new. He had said he would have improved it if they were in the tower because "spandex doesn't stop bullets". _Speaking of the devil_ Peter thought. Tony was walking towards him, with a smile on his face.

"You're ready?" he asked the teenager.

"Sure. But your plan sucks".

"All of you already told me that. But in the end, you agreed with it".

"Only because Cap was in favor of it, and he's the sensible one".

Tony snorted.

"You have too little faith in me".

"With good reason".

"Smart-ass" the billionaire replied. "I want to talk about something with you".

Peter frowned. Every time Tony got serious meant bad news.

"What happens now?"

"Don't worry. It's nothing bad. I just want to make you an offer".

"That I can't reject?" Peter said quoting the famous sentence.

Tony rolled his eyes.

"Hopefully. Peter, do you want to be an Avenger?"

Peter's jaw dropped and his mind went blank. _Me, an Avenger?_ Not even in his wildest dreams he would have imagined he would be part of the greatest superhero team in the world. He had admired those people since he was little, and now he had the chance of being one of them.

"So, cat got your tongue?" Tony said. "Do you accept or not?"

Peter thought about it. Joining the Avengers would mean he'd have backup the next time he'd have to face a super villain. It also meant he would have to participate in more dangerous missions. And that excited him a lot.

"Yeah, I accept. But I have one condition".

"OK, let's hear it".

"My identity has to remain secret. No one except you can know it".

"That's guaranteed. And I have one condition too".

"What?"

"You can't skip classes to fight crime, like you've been doing these last months".

"What?" Peter said incredulously. "And what if there's a bank robbery or something like that? I think that's more important than math class".

"Believe it or not, I live in New York and Cap does too. If there's an emergency we'll take care of it".

"And what happens if you are not in the city?"

"In that case, you can skip the classes. But only if it's an emergency and the NYPD can't handle it".

"OK" Peter said, sighing. "You're worse than my aunt".

"Actually, it was your aunt's idea".

"You've talked with her?" the teenager said blushing.

"Of course we've talked to her! You're a minor so we needed her permission. That's what Cap said, at least".

Peter shook his head. _This can't get more embarrassing_ he thought. He gave Steve a dirty look, but the hero just shrugged smiling.

"Ok, whatever" Peter said defeatedly.

"Then, congratulations Peter Parker. You're officially an Avenger".

The station broke into applause. He looked at the other members of the team, who were obviously happy because Peter had said yes. The teenager couldn't help, but grin. He couldn't have asked for a better team, and not just because they were the most powerful people on Earth, but also because they were loyal friends who would always help him if he was in trouble. It was nice to know he was no longer alone as a superhero. _Although this could be the shortest period of membership of history_ he thought grimacing. He looked at his gloves, his heart beating hard in his chest. But this wasn't just about him. It was about the city, and the people who lived in it. He had to protect them. It was the promise he had made when he had decided to become Spider-Man.

"Peter!"

He looked up. Gwen was at the door, obviously angry.

"Did you think you could leave without telling me?"

"I didn't want to worry you".

And it was true. It had been hard enough to say goodbye to her aunt. She knew being Spider-Man was part of who he was, but that didn't mean she didn't worry about him. She had ended up crying and Peter had felt like the most despicable being of the world for putting her through that. He didn't think he could go through the same with Gwen.

"I'll always worry about you, Peter" Gwen said with a smile. "Especially if you're gonna fight against a lunatic who has tried to kill you several times".

"Three times are not several times".

"You know what I mean!" she said, exasperated.

Peter chuckled despite the situation. Gwen pulled the mask up until his nose and kissed him. He put his hands around her waist. He didn't want that moment to finish ever. They reluctantly pulled away from each other, and Gwen said, with trembling voice:

"Just come back, OK?"

"OK".

He hated lying to her.

* * *

Natasha Romanoff was a woman with multiple skills which was very useful at her job. She knew more of five martial arts and at least fifty different ways of killing a person. But she also had other weapons. She wasn't going to lie and say she had never used her attractive appearance to get what she wanted. And she had never been ashamed for it. She considered it just one of her resources. So when she flirted with the receptionist to let her in, using as an excuse that she was a scientist who had lost her identification, she didn't feel sorry at all. She took the elevator down to the basement, where Peter had tried to hack the computers without success. There were several soldiers guarding the floor (probably Osborn didn't want another security breach to happen), but none of them were a match for Natasha. She shot them with tranquilizer darts. She would have used bullets but Peter didn't want anyone to be killed. Well, this is better she thought. I'm sure they would have screamed with the bullets, at least this way they are quiet. She opened the metal door and turned on the computer. It took her less than five minutes to find the files and it took her even less to send those files at all the media of the city._ Gotcha._

* * *

Harry Osborn was in his office, completely unaware of the Russian spy sneaking into his basement. He felt invincible and he was sure that defeating the Avengers was a piece of cake. He still was angry because Spider-Man had escaped, but he was sure the next time he would finish him off, especially with the surprises he had prepared for him. Then, his cell phone rang and he picked it up:

"Sir" it was Felicia, his secretary, "you have to turn on the TV right now".

Harry frowned at his secretary's urgent tone, but he did what she said.

"What the hell?" he said.

There was a reporter in Times Square, a pretty common thing in New York news. What was less common was that the reporter was interviewing Tony Stark. The billionaire, wearing the Iron-Man suit, was saying:

"Yeah, I know I'm an outlaw now, and that Times Square is the last place I should be, but that's why I've come" then, he looked directly at the camera. "I dare you, Harry Osborn, to come here with your group of friends to defeat me, if you have balls. Or maybe you only like fighting in that monstrous building you call tower, coward?"

Harry didn't hear anything else because he grabbed the TV and threw it against the wall. _What does that fool pretend?_ he thought. _He wants to make fun of me in public! I'm better than him, and I don't need anyone to defeat that idiot!_ Probably if Harry were a sane person, he would have realized there was something wrong with that situation. But in his unbalanced state of mind, he only thought that he had to teach Stark a lesson. He grabbed his Iron Patriot suit, and flew towards Times Square.

* * *

_I can't believe he fell_ for that Tony thought while he saw Harry coming towards him. It had been Peter's idea to fight Harry in Times Square instead of attacking him at Oscorp. None of the Avengers had come up with it because they didn't think Osborn could be that stupid. _Obviously, we were wrong._

"I thought you would never come, copycat".

"I'm gonna kill you Stark!"

And Tony believed him. Harry looked like a rabid dog, and he was sure the villain would cut him into pieces if he could. It was pretty scary, and he thought that Peter had a pair of balls if Harry looked like that when he fought against him.

"I'd like to see you try" Tony replied with a confidence he didn't really feel.

Harry launched at him while he shot blasters of energy and Tony did the same. When they were close enough, Tony punched him in the face, and shot a ball of energy to his chest. He felt an enormous satisfaction when he saw how Harry crashed against a wall.

"You're gonna pay for this!" Harry shouted.

The machine gun came out of his metallic arm and pointed at Iron-Man who grinned:

"That's not going to work anymore".

Tony pressed a button in his arm, and a machine gun just like his came out from his suit.

"How is this possible?" Harry said. "That weapon is mine! You can't have it!"

_He really is out of his mind_ Tony thought, before saying:

"I stole this some months ago from Oscorp, you were in prison back then, so it's normal you didn't know anything about it. After our last fight I decided to have it installed in my suit. So, what do we do now?"

Harry growled and started shooting blasters at him. Tony cursed and dodged them. He couldn't pull the stunt of "who has it bigger" (Natasha's words, not his) again. He already knew the consequences and, whether he liked it or not, Harry's suit had more power than his. But he needed to gain time, so he flew around Times Square while Harry shot at him. He failed and hit the buildings, instead. When this is over, I'm gonna have to pay a lot for property damage, Tony thought annoyed. Suddenly, the screens of the buildings turned on. They all showed a blond reporter saying:

"We have received impacting documents concerning Harry Osborn and HAMMER. According to these files, HAMMER is financed by the terrorist group HYDRA. It also looks like the attack at Oscorp was made by a man called Dmitri Smerdyakov , alias the Chamaeleon. He was hired by Osborn to frame Spider-Man for the attack and the death of the 53 people who died in it..."

Harry's eyes widened while he watched the screens._ All of my work, all of my efforts...gone!_ He turned around, and saw Tony grinning at him.

"Oops. It looks like you have a serious security problem in your company".

Harry saw red. He just wanted to rip that bastard's heart out, get that luminous circle and crush it until it turned to dust. He shot at Iron-Man. The hero rolled to one side but he wasn't fast enough to dodge the second shot. He crashed against the wall of a building, and before he even had time to get up, Harry was over him. He ripped off Tony's mask and punched him in the face repeatedly. It was one thing to be punched when he had the mask but to be punched by a metallic arm while he didn't have any sort of protection... At the third punch he had lost the orientation completely. He could hear vaguely Harry shouting:

"How did you do it? How?"

Tony would have smiled. Maybe he did, but he couldn't feel his face so it was impossible to know. He didn't want to die there, but he doubted the others were able to help him in time. A_t least, it was worth it_ he thought before blacking out.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry for not having updated for two weeks, but I have been really busy! I have a good part of the next chapter already written so I think I'll be able to publish it next weekend. No promises though, because I have two exams and… well, you already know how stressful that is. Anyway, I can also assure you that the next chapter is better than this one. It's the one in which everything comes to a head.**

**I want to thank everyone who has reviewed/followed/favorited. And if you've liked the chapter, leave a review!**


	25. Chapter 25

Peter was hidden in the shadows, clinging to the wall of a building nearby to Times Square. The plan had been to make Harry go to Times Square, a public place where every screen would turn on when the news received the documents Natasha had stolen from Oscorp. That would distract Harry until Kraven and Co. arrived. That's why they hadn't moved yet. If they attacked Harry at the same time, the others would get scared (_cowards_, Peter thought), but if they thought Tony was alone, they'd get confident. That's why Peter thought the plan sucked. What if Tony got hurt or something went wrong? It had too many variables, but it was all they had. And, surprisingly, it was working. Harry hadn't made a scratch to Tony's armor and he was distracted. That's when all hell broke loose. Before any of them knew what was happening, Harry had ripped off Tony's mask and was beating the crap out of him. Peter swore loudly, and swung from building to building desperate to reach Tony in time. At first, Peter had volunteered to face Harry, arguing that he was the perfect person to fight against him, but the team had been against the idea. Harry had too much hate towards the young hero and the situation could get out of hand or so they had said.

Now Peter regretted not having insisted more.

The team was communicated through earphones and Peter could hear them heading towards Times Square. Suddenly, his spider-sense tingled. He changed his direction just in time to dodge a dart. He looked at the left and saw the ugly form of the Vulture flying over him. Before he could do anything, the villain cut his web lines. Peter fell and looked frantically around him, trying to get something to hold onto before he became a smudge on the pavement. He shot a strand of web at the rooftop of one of the buildings, but he didn't calculate well and slammed his side into the wall. He blacked out for a second, and he was sure he would have fallen to the ground if he hadn't been hanging by the web line. Unluckily he didn't have time to relax. Steve's voice made him open his eyes though he didn't remember when he had closed them.

"Peter? Are you OK? What happened?"

Peter didn't have time to answer because at that moment his spider-sense tingled again. The Vulture was in front of him, pointing at him with his wings and ready to shoot.

"Last words, bug?"

Peter put his feet on the wall and used them to launch himself at the Vulture. He landed on the back of the villain, who shouted:

"What the hell are you doing? Get off me!".

"I'm just having a bit of fun".

The Vulture tried to slash him with his wings and Peter had to make impossible jumps to dodge them. _I can't do anything like that_ he thought frustrated. Desperate times call for desperate grabbed the wings with his hands. The points bit into his skin but he didn't let go even though he could feel blood running down his palms. They plummeted down to the ground while the Vulture shouted:

"Are you crazy? You're gonna get both of us killed!"

"Who wants to live forever?" Peter said grinning.

They were losing altitude very fast. Peter could already see people pointing at them, amazed. He let go of the Vulture's wings for a second and, before the villain could react, he put the device he had made a few weeks ago on the wings._ Please, God, tell me it works_ he thought _or I'm gonna be in serious trouble_. The device, that was a circle made of metal, emitted an electromagnetic wave and the wings stopped working immediately. Peter shot a web at a streetlamp while he caught the Vulture by the neck. They both ended up just a few feet from the floor. A few seconds more and their brains would have been splattered all over Times Square. Peter shuddered just thinking about it. The Vulture tried to run away, but Peter shot him a web ball at the leg, causing him to fall to the ground. After that, he webbed the villain to the streetlamp and said:

"You're not so brave without your wings anymore, right?"

The Vulture looked at him, afraid, and said:

"Look, it's not my fault. Osborn threatened me with killing me if I didn't cooperate with him".

"Oh, great. You're not only a coward but also a bad liar".

Then, Peter grabbed the Vulture's wings and broke them in two. He felt a strange feeling of satisfaction when he heard the metal breaking and the Vulture's expression of despair seeing his greatest work destroyed. Suddenly, Peter heard the police sirens and thought _Shit, as if I didn't have enough problems._ The car doors opened and Peter got ready to leave when he saw the two cops getting out.

"Wait!" one of the cops said.

Peter doubted for an instant. The NYPD and he had a love-hate relationship and Peter never knew if they were going to thank him or shoot him. The cops didn't have any guns in his hands (or worse, tasers) so he decided to wait.

"What can I do for you, agents?"

"Is that the Vulture?" the cop asked pointing at the villain webbed to the streetlamp.

"Yeah".

"OK, we'll take him to the jail, then".

"I thought you believed he was one of the good guys" Peter said, confused.

"Yeah, well. Now we have warrant orders for every member of HAMMER. Sometimes, we make mistakes too" the cop said, slightly ashamed. "Clearly, it wasn't you who attacked Oscorp".

Peter nodded. It was the closest thing to an apology he was going to get. Then, he heard a noise coming from Times Square, and remembered his problems were far from over.

* * *

Steve didn't swear often but that time was an exception. When he saw what was happening with Tony, he ran to Times Square as fast as he could. He saw Clint jumping from rooftop to rooftop with the bow ready. His only thought was to reach Tony before it was too late. Then, he heard a loud thud through his auricular and stopped in his tracks. He realized Spider-Man wasn't following them.

"Peter? Are you OK? What happened?"

He could hear Peter's ragged breathing and a male voice speaking though he couldn't identify who it belonged to. Then, some struggling and Peter saying:

"I'm just having a bit of fun".

Steve rolled his eyes. At least, Peter seemed to be fine so he kept running to Times Square. He really didn't know what he would have done if both of them were in trouble. By the time he arrived, Clint had already shot an explosive arrow at Harry who was flying towards him. _Not so fast_ Steve thought. He threw his shield at Harry. It hit him in the stomach and, though it wasn't enough to break his suit, it sent him flying against a skyscraper.

"Give up, Osborn" Steve said. "Your plan is over".

"Never!" Harry shouted.

At that moment, the Rhino appeared. _Just what I needed_ Steve thought sarcastically. He looked at his left, where Tony was lying on the floor. He was unconscious and Steve really wanted to check up on him, but he had to defeat the villains first. Luckily he wasn't alone.

"If you're looking for Robin Hood, you better forget about him" the Rhino said. "He's currently busy with Kraven".

Steve cursed again. _What do I do now? Well, if I could defeat a whole Nazi army alone, I can also do this_.

"You've tried to kill two of my friends, and get control of the world. And the last time someone tried to do that, I beat the crap out of him. I have no problem doing it again".

Both villains launched at him at the same time. Steve rolled to one side to dodge a punch from the Rhino and protected himself raising his shield to block a blaster from Harry. He used the shield to hit the Rhino in the face, making him fall to the ground. Unluckily, Harry took advantage of that moment to punch him in the stomach. Steve doubled over, giving a gasp of pain and Harry threw another punch, this time at his face. The hero fell on his knees, and felt the taste of blood in his mouth. He looked up and saw Harry pointing at him with the repulsor of his hand and the Rhino, who had recovered from the punch, standing beside him._ I can't fight both of them at the same time_ Steve thought desperately.

"Whoooo!"

The three of them looked up and saw Spider-Man swinging from building to building. _Thank God_ Steve thought. The teenage hero shot a web ball at the Rhino's feet who swore and tried to get free without success.

"You really are bullies, aren't you?" Peter said landing between Steve and the villains. "Do you always have to attack in packs, like wolves? By the way, your vulture pet is being carried to prison right now. I thought you should know because that's where you are going to be very soon".

Steve got up and stood beside Peter.

"Thanks, Spider-Man" he said.

"What are teammates for? Go check up on Tony, I'll take care of this".

"Are you sure?"

"Tony needs help. And this is between Harry and me".

"I finally can defeat you without distractions" Harry said with a vicious smile Steve didn't like at all.

"See? The lunatic agrees with me. Don't worry, I'll be fine".

Steve nodded reluctantly. He knew Peter was right though he didn't like leaving him there, but he didn't have another choice. He left and Peter focused his entire attention on Harry. The villain looked as angry as the first time they had fought.

"Here I am, just like you wanted" Peter said. "Without distractions and without people who can help any of us".

Harry smiled. _Funny, he only smiles when he thinks about killing me_ Peter thought. Suddenly, the screens of the buildings showed an aerial shot of Times Square. The headline said: and villain Harry Osborn fighting in Times Square._ Well, at least now they know I'm not the bad guy._ Harry, on the other hand, looked furious because his plan had been discovered.

"You want a villain?" he shouted. "I'll show you what a villain is!"

His armor started to change. Some pieces moved, other ones got smaller or bigger. Before Peter could react, Harry's armor had turned into his Green Goblin suit. He had a box in his hand with a button in the side. When he pressed the button, the glider came out and Harry got on it. He flew several meters above the ground, laughing like a maniac. Peter decided to take advantage of Harry's breakdown to attack. He shot web line at one of the buildings and when he was at the same height as Harry, he shot a web ball at the glider, hoping to render it useless. But the web ball dissolved and disappeared.

"Do you like it?" Harry said. "I've covered the glider and my armor with a substance especially designed to dissolve your webs".

Peter cursed. _He's incredibly smart considering he's a lunatic._ Then, Harry grabbed a machine gun and started to shoot. Peter swung from building to building, dodging Harry's gunshots. _How am I supposed to fight him if I can't hit him with my webs?_ He remembered his fight against the Vulture and decided to do the same thing. He launched himself at Harry and landed on the glider. After that, he shot a strand of web at the machine gun and snatched it from Harry's hands. He was going to point it at the villain and threaten with killing him if he didn't give up. He'd never do it, of course, but Harry didn't know that. It wasn't a perfect plan but he was pretty desperate. Unluckily, Harry moved brusquely the glider and the weapon fell off his hands. Peter sighed. I_ should stop having these kinds of ideas._

"Now what?" Harry said with a triumphant smile since the glider was his element.

"Now I'm gonna beat the crap out of you" Peter said determined to defeat Harry. He wasn't going to let the villain hurt more people even if it cost him his life.

Peter got closer to Harry. It wasn't very difficult, there was barely space for one person in the glider, let alone two. He tried to punch him in the face, but Harry dodged him and grabbed him by his arms. Peter tried to pull off him but maneuvering was very difficult and Harry was as strong as him. The glider got higher and higher, until the buildings were just dots. Peter was lucky he wasn't afraid of heights, or he would have thrown up. He was sure if he fell off the glider his brains would end up splattered on the pavement. It wouldn't even be worth it to try to shoot a web line at a building. At the speed he would be falling, the webs (or his arms) would break in two so he had to think of something quickly. He was frightened but he couldn't let fear paralyze him. He kicked Harry in the stomach. The villain doubled over and let go of Peter's arms who took advantage of the moment to punch him in the face. Then, Harry moved the glider unexpectedly causing Peter to trip. His feet touched the edge of the glider but he managed to stay upright. Suddenly, his spider-sense tingled urging him to roll to one side. But there wasn't enough space to do it so he couldn't dodge Harry's punch. He felt pain in his nose and then blood dripping from it. _A broken nose, the icing on the cake_ Peter thought sarcastically. Harry kicked him in the legs, and Peter fell on his back, with his feet dangling over the sides. Harry leaned over him and grabbed him by the neck and started strangling him.

"You know? You shouldn't ever have fought me, Peter. If you had let me continue my plan, none of this would have happened. But actually, I gotta thank you. Now I can test my little creations. They'll destroy everything because if I can't have ths city, no one will. You hear me? No one!"

Black dots were appearing in Peter's vision and the buzzing in his ears was so loud, he couldn't hear what Harry was saying anymore. He was trying to breathe desperately, but the air didn't reach his lungs. Right then, he had two choices. Dying asphyxiated or dying after falling several hundred feet. He didn't have to make a choice though because he blacked out and didn't even feel when Harry pushed him off the glider.

* * *

**A/N: Here's the new chapter. I think it's the longest chapter I've ever written! I really hope you like it. Did you understand the Avengers' plan to defeat the Sinister Six? Basically the heroes wanted to set them up, luring them into Times Square making them believe that Tony was alone. Well, if you don't understand it, just tell me and I'll explain it more clearly. The fic is closer to the end, I think I'll write three or four chapters more or less. Anyway, I hope you've liked it and leave a review! I'll try to update as soon as possible.**

**Answering to a review from Batman111893: I thought about putting Electro but I didn't like him in the movies (too comical for my taste) so I decided to put other villains instead of him.**


	26. Chapter 26

Steve walked towards Tony and knelt beside him. He was unconscious and most of his face was covered in blood. There was a gash in his forehead that worried Steve a lot, and he hoped Tony didn't have a concussion because it was the last thing they needed at that moment. He called Tony's name but he didn't even move. Then, Steve shook him a little, but Tony didn't seem to notice him.

"C'mon, Tony, this is not time to take a nap" Steve said, hoping the joke would have some sort of effect in Tony.

Surprisingly, it worked. Tony's eyes fluttered open and Steve let out a sigh of relief. He hadn't realized how worried he had been until that moment. Tony looked at Steve confused:

"Cap? What happened?" he was slurring the words but that was normal considering he just woke up.

"Harry Osborn beat you up".

Tony's eyes widened in an expression that would have been comical if the situation had been different.

"That bastard... I'm going to kill him".

Tony tried to sit up, but he gave up quickly when a wave of dizziness overcame him.

"You have a gash on your forehead that's bleeding" Steve explained. "I wouldn't get up yet if I were you".

"You could have told me that before".

"You wouldn't have listened to me".

"Touché. So, are you gonna explain to me how bad the situation is?"

"Why do you always have to suppose it's bad?" Steve said exasperated. Then, he sighed. "It's not bad, but it's not good either".

"A draw, then?"

"You could call it like that. The Vulture and the Rhino are out of the game. Clint is taking care of Kraven but I have no idea how he's doing. He hasn't communicated with us".

"What about Fury?" Tony asked.

"He hasn't made contact either. I guess he's still waiting".

Tony sighed, frustrated, and Steve understood him very well. He felt the same way.

"Honestly, you've had better plans than this one" Steve said.

"You agreed with it, remember?"

"Just because there wasn't any better idea".

"Well, what's done is done".

"Can you sit up?"

"I think so" Tony groaned, but managed to sit up. "And I'm ready to kick that idiot's ass".

I'm not sure of that Steve thought but didn't say it aloud. Tony got up slowly, and looked around.

"Have you seen my... Holy shit!"

Tony was looking up with his mouth open. Steve followed his gaze and his eyes widened. That time he didn't swear. He was too speechless to do it. He saw Harry on the glider, so high up in the air that he was just a dot in the sky. But he could see clearly how he pushed something off the glider. Something blue and red.

"Peter" he said.

Suddenly, it was as if he were in the battle against the Chitauri army again, watching helplessly how one of the members of his team fell to his death. The difference was that Peter didn't have an armor worth of millions of dollars, just a suit made of spandex. He heard a buzz beside him and, before he knew what was going on, he saw Tony flying towards Peter. The young hero was falling quickly and Tony was praying to reach him in time. He never thought a few seconds could be so long. Finally, he grabbed him by the waist and landed on the rooftop of one of the buildings. He laid Peter down on the ground and shook him gently.

"Peter, c'mon, wake up!"

Suddenly, Peter jerked and coughed. Tony helped him sit up so he could breathe better. When Peter was finished, Tony asked:

"Are you OK?"

"I'm fine" he answered.

"Really? That's pretty impressive taking into account that your voice sounds awful".

Peter chuckled and the coughing fit that followed lasted more than either man wanted. When it stopped, Peter said, trying to lighten the mood:

"Thanks for the compliment Tony, but you don't look like a rock star right now".

Actually, Tony felt slightly dizzy but he wasn't going to admit it to him.

"Where's Harry?" Peter asked.

Tony looked at the place where the villain had been a few moments ago but he had disappeared. Tony didn't know whether to be angry or happy because he really wasn't in condition to fight.

"We have to find him!" Peter said, very agitated.

"And we will" Tony said surprised by the hero's reaction. Just calm down, OK?"

"You don't understand. He said something about some creations that will destroy the city".

_Uh oh._ He didn't like how that sounded at all. At that moment, Steve's voice came from the earphone.

"Peter, how are you?"

"I'm fine, Cap".

"And do you plan on getting here any time soon? We have things to do".

"Someone is a little grumpy" Tony said, making Peter smile.

"Well, it's not being a good day" Steve said.

_And it's gonna get a lot worse if we don't find Harry_ Peter thought.

* * *

Fury looked around. He loved it when the plans came together. His agents were arresting HAMMER soldiers and scientists. It hadn't been too difficult, most of them had run away when they found out about the leaking of the files. Fury grimaced when he thought about the months it was going to take him to capture the rest of HAMMER.

"Now what do we do?" Coulson, one of his best agents, asked him.

"Have all the floors been searched?"

"Yeah, except the laboratories. We're waiting for our scientists so they can give us their professional opinion".

"To hell with waiting!"

Fury took the elevator to the laboratories and Coulson followed him. The hallway was quiet and the silence gave Fury goosebumps. Nothing good happened when things were so quiet. The director of SHIELD unholstered his gun, and Coulson did the same. Suddenly, one of the doors flew open and Fury raised his gun. Sometimes he wished he were wrong more often.

He could see someone getting out of the laboratories. It was a scientist. His clothes were torn and bloody, and he had an expression of pure terror on his face. He ran towards them, and for a moment Fury considered to shoot him. He knew scared men could be very dangerous but the man wasn't armed so he contained himself though he kept pointing at him. He was definitely surprised when the scientist held onto him as if he were a lifeline.

"Get me out of here, please!"

"What the hell is going on?" Futy shouted. "Answer me right now!"

That only scared the scientist more and he started crying, muttering incomprehensible things. Fury was about to strangle him but then Coulson got close and put a hand on Fury's shoulder.

"Let me deal with this" he said.

Fury sighed, but decided to listen to him. Coulson was better than him dealing with people.

"Hey, look at me" Coulson said with a soothing tone. "If you don't tell us what is going on, we won't be able to help you".

The scientist grabbed Coulson's jacket, and shouted at him:

"We're all gonna die here! This place is our grave!"

At that moment, a roar echoed throughout the floor. It came from one of the laboratories. Fury and Coulson looked at each other and nodded. They both started walking towards the room slowly, with their guns raised. They stepped into the laboratory and Fury almost dropped his weapon. The scientist was right. That building was going to be their grave.

* * *

"Where did you last see him?"

Tony was looking closely at the buildings, with Peter swinging beside him and Steve scanning the streets. The three of them were looking for Clint. They all felt it was going to be a hard battle and they needed the team to be complete.

"There!" Peter said pointing at the rooftop of a building just below them.

They both landed on the ground of the rooftop and couldn't help but smile at the scene. Kraven was cuffed to a pipe, shouting and cursing at them in what they supposed it was Russian while Clint picked his arrows from the floor and Natasha secured Kraven's handcuffs.

"What took you so long?" Clint asked.

"An idiot called Green Goblin" Tony answered.

"And we need to get to Oscorp right now" Peter said.

"Again?" Natasha said. "I just came from there. Fury is taking down the rest of HAMMER agents and it doesn't look like he needs help, not like others".

"Hey! I was doing pretty well without you" Clint said.

"Since when having his boot" Natasha said pointing at the handcuffed villain "on your stomach means pretty well?"

"I just wanted him to think he could win and then beat him up. It's called distraction".

"It looked like more than a distraction".

Suddenly, Peter fell on his knees. He yelled while he put his hands on his head.

"Hey, kid, what's wrong?" Clint asked, kneeling beside him.

Peter couldn't answer. His spider-sense was killing him. Usually, it was just a faint tingling in the back of his head but this threatened with breaking his skull in two. He looked around and felt how his pain increased when he turned his head to the left. He knew exactly what was there.

"Guys, we really need to go to Oscorp".

"Let's not waste time, then" Clint said.

"Are you sure you're OK?" Tony asked the teen hero worriedly.

Peter got up and nodded. He felt like he had the worst hangover ever, and that scared him. What was going on at that damned tower? What could be so bad that his instincts were screaming at him to run in the opposite direction? Maybe that would be the right thing to do. But, since when did he do the right thing anyway?

He ran to the tower along with the others. It felt good to be part of a team and not to be alone fighting unknown dangers. Peter landed on the ground. The street was a complete chaos. People were screaming and running. He looked at the team and they all nodded. They were going into the tower to find out what was happening. They opened the doors and felt how their jaws dropped. The floor was destroyed and agents of SHIELD were shooting at...monsters. That was the first word that came to Peter's mind. Monsters like the ones that appear in Stephen King's books. They were some sort of mixture between a human and an animal. They all had different forms, from small and crouched to big and scaly. It was as a reunion of the Lizard's friends. At least, they all looked as irrational as he did. Those beings had lost all trace of humanity and had turned into rabid monsters. He was going to kill Harry for this. How dared he experiment on people and turn them into those things?

He didn't have time to think anything else because his spider-sense tingled (more than before) and he moved to the left just in time to dodge a creature. It was covered in red fur and had certain resemblance to a fox. Especially with the claws and fangs. The creature launched itself at him and Peter dodged it again. He shot some web balls at the monster, but it tore them apart like they were paper._ I'm in big trouble_ Peter thought. He looked around to see if someone could help him but the rest of the team were busy fighting. He rolled to one side before a claw slashed him. _If I don't do something, it's gonna kill me._ He knew it wasn't the smartest thing to do but he grabbed the monster's arms to restrain it and kicked it in the stomach. The creature doubled over and growled. Peter took advantage of the moment to punch it in the face. It didn't leave it unconscious, but he was confused enough. Peter turned around and ran to the stairs. He needed to find Harry and make him stop this craziness. He was sure the villain had a way to control the monsters. Even Harry wasn't stupid enough to leave those hybrids without any sort of control, right?

Unluckily, his plan was interrupted by another hybrid who got in his way. Peter didn't even know what it was. It looked like a giant red monster. In comparison, the Lizard was a puppy. The hybrid roared and tried to grab Peter who moved to the right.

"What do you have against the little spiders? This is bullying!"

The hybrid just roared again and raised its claw. Peter rolled to one side, and then his spider-sense tingled. He was about to jump, but he wasn't fast enough. The hybrid hit him in the leg with its tail (Peter hadn't even realized the monster had a tail) and he fell to the floor. Then, the hybrid leaned over him. Peter could smell his rotten breath and see his large fangs. I never thought I'd die like this he thought. Suddenly, the monster froze and fell to the ground beside Peter. The hero saw that the hybrid had a hole in his back from which blood was dripping.

"Are you OK?"

Peter looked at the man who had saved him. He had a machine gun in his hands and was wearing a suit that screamed agent of SHIELD.

"Yeah, thanks" he said getting up. "If it weren't for you, I'd be monster food right now".

"I've also been close to turning into that a couple of times. I'm Phil Coulson".

"And I'm..." Peter looked at himself, he was still wearing his Spider-Man suit. "Well, it's pretty obvious who I am".

"It is. Nice to meet you personally, Spider-Man".

"Personally?"

"Fury made me follow you a while ago. He wanted to know your identity but you're truly elusive".

"Thanks?" Peter said, unsure if the comment was a compliment. "So, do you know how many of these beasts there are?"

"Too many. The basement is full of them. We've evacuated the people in the building and we are trying to contain the cross-species so they don't go into the city, but I'm afraid it's impossible".

"I have to find Harry. I'm sure he can stop the cross-species".

"And why would he help you? He's the one who created them and set them free".

"I'll force him to. I won't let these monsters destroy the city and kill people!"

Coulson sighed:

"You're really stubborn, aren't you? Well, if he were in the tower, we would have found him by now".

Peter knew the agent was right. Harry wasn't in the building, and the teenager had to take care of the monsters that were in the tower. He couldn't leave his team to deal with them alone.

Coulson's phone rang and he picked it up while he shot the monsters with the other hand. _The guy has style_ Peter thought with approval.

"What?" Coulson shouted.

The agent's face had turned various shades paler.

"What happens?" Peter asked.

"This is not the only place full of cross-species. There is another warehouse at the docks".

"Please tell me it's locked".

Coulson just shook his head.

"They are loose in the city".

* * *

**A/N: I'm so sorry for not updating! (Don't kill me Batman111893 and Shakura 134 :-)) I've been really busy and my inspiration left me for a while. Really, I thought I'd never finish this chapter. Well, there are only two more chapters to end this story. I've put the cross-species because I heard that they appeared in the videogame of TASM and I liked the idea. It's not too weird, right? Anyway, thanks for sticking with me guys, you're really awesome. And if you've liked the chapter, leave a review, they make me truly happy!**


	27. Chapter 27

Peter kicked another hybrid in the stomach and webbed it to the wall. All of the Avengers were still trapped in that hell fighting monsters. They wanted to get out since they got the news that the hybrids were loose but it was impossible. There were too many.

"What are we going to do now?" Peter asked the rest of the team. "There are two groups of cross-species in different parts of the city so unless one of us can divide himself in two..."

"You leave" Fury said. "SHIELD will take care of the ones here so they don't escape. You have to get rid of the others and save the civilians".

Coulson and Hill were beside the director and nodded. The Avengers looked at them, knowing that they were sacrificing themselves because there was no way SHIELD could defeat all those monsters alone.

'"I'm not gonna lie to you" Fury said. "There's no guarantee this is going to turn out fine. They are too many and we are too few. But our duty is to protect innocent people, and we're going to fulfill that duty at all costs".

Everyone nodded, including Peter. Fury's speech made him feel guilty about thinking that SHIELD's intentions were evil. Even though their methods weren't very orthodox (or legal), it was clear their objective was to guarantee everyone's security.

"C'mon we have to leave" Steve said.

They got out of the building to find the empty street. The sight gave Peter chills. It was almost unnatural seeing a New York street so silent. But after what he had just seen in the tower, he thought nothing could surprise him anymore. _And now I have to fight more of those monsters_ Peter thought shuddering.

"Where are they, Cap?" Clint asked.

"In the east part of the city. Natasha, call Bruce. We're gonna need him".

"He's not going to want to turn again after the last time" the red-headed said.

"That's why I want you to be the one who calls him. You can convince him and I wouldn't ask him if it wasn't really necessary".

Natasha nodded. He knew Steve was right. The Hulk could make a big difference to win the battle.

"Tony, Peter" Steve continued, "you'll be able to get to the place where the monsters are faster than us. Take down as many of those things as you can, but don't do anything reckless until we're there".

"So that means after you're there we can do something reckless?" Tony said with a grin.

Steve just put his stern face (the one that said "I'm the boss so don't mess with me").

"Don't blame Tony, your message was ambiguous" Peter said, and then thought _did I really said that to Captain Freaking America?_

He knew he would never have done it under normal circumstances, but he was really nervous. And when he was nervous he used the humor to relieve stress. Luckily, Steve looked more exasperated than angry. Peter let out a sigh of relief. He didn't want to be kicked out of the Avengers before the first week.

"They're like a pair of kids" Natasha said annoyed.

"Actually, Spidey is a kid" Clint added with a smile.

"Hey! I'll be eighteen in a few months".

_If one of those hybrids don't rip me apart_ he thought gloomily.

"I'm serious, guys. No crazy stunts" Steve said.

They both nodded. Peter knew the most probable thing was that he would break his promise the moment he got there, and looking at Tony and the amused glint in his eyes, Peter knew the billionaire thought the same thing.

Peter shot a web line at one of the buildings and started swinging. He could hear the buzz of Tony's armor beside him.

"How are you?" Tony asked him.

"Excited to take down all those monsters".

"You're a terrible liar, you know?" Tony said laughing.

"Who says I'm lying?" Peter said defensively.

"Common sense. You know it's okay to be scared, right?"

"That's easy for you to say. You got through a portal to another universe".

"And it was the most terrifying experience of my life. I had nightmares about it for months, but I always felt I couldn't talk to the others about it because what kind of superhero has PTSD?"

Peter didn't say anything. He had never thought Tony Stark, the most self-confident person in the world, would admit that he was human after all. Oddly, Tony's confession relieved him a lot. He had also tried to hide his fears from the Avengers because he had thought he had to. He was the newest member, and he didn't want the Avengers to consider him weak. But now he felt he could tell Tony the truth.

"What do you want me to say? I have a knot in my stomach, those cross-species, hybrids or whatever their name is scare the hell out of me and I'd rather be in my house with Gwen than fighting them. And I want to kill Harry because all of this is his fault!" Peter didn't even realize he had been shouting until he finished.

"Do you feel better now?" Tony asked him calmly.

"Surprisingly, yes I feel a little better".

"See? Nothing feels so good like venting. Trust me, if I had discovered it earlier I would have saved myself a lot of problems".

"That's impossible Tony. You have a gift to get into trouble".

"Yeah, you're right. So, ready to kick some asses?"

Peter heard roars and screams and knew the cross-species were close. He swallowed and said:

"Yeah, I'm ready". _Or as ready as I'm ever going to be._

They landed on the rooftop of a building and saw the chaos that was the street. People were screaming and trying to run away from the monsters though not everyone had had lucky. There were many bodies on the ground of people who hadn't been fast enough to dodge the hybrids. Peter shot a web line at a streetlamp and used it to land on the street. People didn't even notice him which was surprising._ With so many monsters, I guess my suit looks more discreet_ Peter thought. He saw a woman with a child near him, running away from a monster with blue skin. The child tripped and fell to the floor. The mother helped him get up, but the hybrid was too close. Peter shot a web ball at the creature while he ran towards it, and kicked it in the stomach. The woman grabbed the child and said:

"Thanks, Spider-Man".

"It's nothing. Now run!"

His spider-sense tingled and he moved to the right just in time to dodge the hybrid that had launched itself at him. Peter punched it in the face, but the monster grabbed him by the arms and legs. At the same time. That's when he realized the hybrid had four arms.

"What are you? Shiva's ugly brother?" Peter said.

He tried to get free, but the monster's grip was too strong. The cross-species got closer and was about to bite him in the neck. And rip off my throat Peter thought. He decided to do something he had never done before: he gave the monster a head butt. It worked. The monster lost the grip it had on him, but the head butt hurt like hell. _I'm going to sue Sylvester Stallone for false advertising. This looks easier in his movies._ Peter took advantage of the moment to throw another punch at the monster and leave it unconscious, and before he had time to take a break, another hybrid launched itself at him. _This is going to be a long day._

* * *

Tony was having a hard time fighting the hybrids. There were so many... And he had to be careful not to hurt the civilians who were running away from the monsters when he shot. Luckily, his aim was pretty good. While Peter was taking care of the monsters that were on the ground, Tony was busy with the rest. He had discovered some of those creatures could crawl walls and jump from buildings. Worse, they were getting into the buildings through the windows and attacking whoever was inside. Tony was trying to hit them before they even got close to the windows. It was like playing a videogame, but in this case if you failed someone died.

"Sir, I am sorry to interrupt you" the voice of his AI said. "But I detect a being heading towards you at high speed. It looks like a cross-species".

Tony turned around and raised his repulsor just in time to shoot a hybrid that was about to jump over him. The monster fell to the ground. It was an eight-story fall so he doubted the hybrid had survived...luckily. _But where did it come from?_ Tony thought. He realized that he had lost altitude without even noticing and now he was flying closer to the street. _The hybrid must have jumped from a rooftop. At least they can't fly. That would be a serious problem._

He decided to fly higher but before he could even move, a cross-species jumped over him. Tony tried to get rid of it but the monster had his arms wrapped around him. Damn, these things are really strong. Then, the hybrid started ripping parts of his armor with his teeth.

"Hey, do you think this is a lolly pop? This armor costs millions of dollars! If you want to bite something metallic, you can try that ugly tower called Oscorp".

"Sir" Jarvis' voice called him again, "the cross-species has ripped off one of the engines. If it rips off the other one the suit will be useless and you'll probably die".

"Thanks, Jarvis. I already knew that. I was the one who invented the suit, remember?"

"Well, if you're so smart, I suggest you that you find a solution quickly".

How his AI had developed sarcasm remained a mystery to Tony. But at that moment he had more urgent problems, namely the monster that wanted to eat him alive. Tony raised his hands, and pointed at the hybrid. The monster was grabbing his arms so his aim wasn't very exact. Two things could happen: he was lucky and hit the monster or he hit himself. Either way, the hybrid would let go off his back. He fired and hit the monster, but it didn't let go. Instead, it clung to him and pulled him down. Tony and the hybrid crashed against the wall of a building and the next thing Tony knew was that he was lying on the floor of an office and his suit was beeping and making strange noises.

"Massive failure" Jarvis' voice said. "The engines are fatally damaged".

"I can shoot, right?"

"Yes, sir. But the suit is unable to fly and doesn't have much energy left. I know you've been taking training lessons with Natasha but I doubt your fighting abilities are enough to take down those cross-species all by yourself".

"Did you just call me wimp?"

Further banter with his AI was interrupted by the hybrid that got into the floor through the window. It wasn't the same monster. This one was like a monstrous spider, with multiple eyes and eight arms. _Wow. If only Peter could see this..._ Tony thought.

The billionaire got up, but then he remembered he couldn't fly. _Oh, shit. _The monster launched himself at him. Tony got out of the way, but the hybrid shot a strand of web from one of its legs at him and suddenly, Tony found himself webbed to the wall, completely unable to move. At least now I know how the criminals that Peter catches feel. The monster got close to him, its face just inches away from his and Tony could smell its rotten breath and see its saliva. The most terrifying thing was its eyes though. They were red and small, looking forward to eating him._ Great, I'm going to die being this monster's lunch._

"Oh, Cousin Jack, if I had known you would come to visit me I would have baked a cake".

Tony looked at the left and saw Peter standing beside the monster. His suit was torn and blood was dripping from his many cuts. Tony grimaced. _Definitely I have to improve that kid's suit._ Peter shot a web ball at the hybrid that left it blind, and before it could rip it off, he webbed its legs. The monster hissed at him but couldn't get free.

"You're not gonna get out of there no matter how many murderous looks you send me" Peter said. "I'm sorry this family reunion ended so badly".

"Why don't you stop talking to a monster that doesn't understand you and give me a hand with this?"

"How about a thanks for saving my life?"

Tony gave him a death glare and Peter chuckled, but ripped off the web.

"Are you OK?" Peter asked.

"More or less".

"Great. So let's go to the street".

"That's going to be a problem".

"Why?"

"Because I can't fly".

Peter just stared at him and said:

"What? Are you kidding me? You're Iron-Man! You're always flying!"

"One of those things broke my suit because it thought it was a lollipop! It's not my fault!"

"Okay, no need to get angry. I can carry you bridal style".

The thought of being carried by a seventeen-year-old teenager made Tony blush.

"Don't even think about it unless you want the next Daily Bugle headline to be Spider-Man's identity discovered".

"Fine" Peter said shrugging. "Stay here. I'd like to see how you explain to Cap that you decided not to help stop the destruction of the city just to save your dignity".

Tony huffed but knew Peter was right. Besides, the building was half destroyed and he was afraid it would collapse with him inside.

"OK, but no bridal style".

Peter nodded and grabbed him by the waist while Tony put an arm over his shoulders. With his free hand, Peter shot a strand of web at one of the buildings and both of them landed on the street. The other Avengers had already arrived and evacuated the people.

"Where the hell were you?" Clint asked while he fired an arrow at a monster.

"My cousin came to visit" Peter said.

"What?"

"Nothing. So, how are things here?"

"How do you think, Spidey? There are too many".

"Then, we just have to put more effort" Steve replied. "We have to save the city at all costs".

"If we had reinforcements, it'd be easier" Natasha said while she stabbed a hybrid in the chest.

Suddenly, Jarvis' voice said:

"Sir, you have an incoming call".

"An...? I'm in the middle of a fight! Tell whoever it is that I can't be interrupted!"

"It's agent Coulson and it sounds urgent".

Coulson must be pretty busy at Oscorp. What could be so urgent to call him? _Nothing good, I'm afraid._ The face of the agent of SHIELD appeared on the visor. He was bloody, and there were noises and screams (and not all of them were from the hybrids) in the background.

"What happens, Coulson?"

"We found Harry Osborn's secretary at the tower. She was on one of the highest floors hidden in a closet".

Tony rolled his eyes. _Sure, a closet is a good place to hide from a monster_ he thought sarcastically.

"I congratulate you for your finding. And why does that concern me?"

"There is another warehouse, Tony".

The news caught Tony off guard and he stopped in his tracks. A hybrid almost bit him in the neck, but Clint shot it in the head before it could move.

"Tony, focus!" the bowman shouted at him.

Tony didn't even hear him. He just asked Coulson:

"Where?"

"In the other part of the city, in the Horizon labs. The warehouse will open automatically in ten minutes".

"Ten minutes... We won't be able to get there in time!"

"You have to destroy that building, Tony. If you don't, we're all doomed. Now I have to hang up, things are busy here".

Tony cursed. If only his suit could fly. He would be there in less than ten minutes and would destroy that building in a second. Unluckily, that wasn't the case. He called the others and told him the news.

"What are we going to do?" Natasha said. "We can't get there in time. It's impossible".

"I can".

If they hadn't been too busy fighting, they all would have turned to look at Peter.

"It's too dangerous" Steve said while he threw his shield taking down a good deal of monsters.

"I'm the only chance you have and you know it. No matter how fast you can run, Cap, you won't be able to get there in time, especially with all these monsters on the street. And let's not even talk about Natasha and Clint. And Tony's suit is half broken so he can't fly. I can swing through the city and be there in five minutes".

"Even if you can, how are you going to destroy the laboratories?" Tony asked him.

"He can blow it up" Clint answered, getting a small device from his belt. "This a bomb developed by the best scientist of SHIELD. Small but very effective".

"You always carry a bomb with you?" Peter said.

"You never know when you are going to need one" Clint said shrugging like it was no big deal. "I would have used it against these monsters already but I don't wanna hurt the civilians".

"How considerate of you" Tony replied sarcastically.

Peter grabbed the bomb, ignoring Tony's comment, and asked:

"How does it work?"

"You just have to press there" Clint said pointing at a button on the left of the device "and set the timer. It should give you enough time to run to safety".

"Good luck" Natasha said. "And be careful, we don't want to lose our newest member".

Peter nodded and held the small bomb. The future of the city was in his hands and he wasn't going to fail. He shot a strand of web at one of the rooftops and swung from building to building. He had never swung so fast before. The landscape was just a blur and he could only think about reaching those laboratories in time. He didn't know how long it took him to get to the building. _I'm going to add a watch to the suit when this is over_ he thought. He came into the building that was empty fortunately, and took the stairs to the basement. He opened the door and felt how his jaw dropped. The floor was full of rows and rows of cross-species in cages. If they get loose, the whole city will be destroyed, and not even the Avengers will be able to stop them. The monsters were growling at him and Peter wanted nothing more than to run away from there. Instead, he walked to the center of the room, put the bomb on the floor and set the timer. Two minutes should be enough time to run to safety. With a sigh of relief, he got out of the basement and the raging beasts and walked towards the door.

"Hello, Peter. Do you think I had forgotten about you?"

The young hero turned around. Harry Osborn was standing in front of him, with a vicious grin on his face. Peter clenched his fists thinking about the horrible things Harry had done, the monsters he had created. He wanted nothing more than wipe that smile off his face. And he was going to do it right at that moment.

* * *

**A/N: I really should be doing my homework right now instead of doing this, but here I am. Well, next chapter is the last one (I can't believe it, now I'm sad this is ending). I hope you've liked this chapter and leave a review. Anyways thanks so much for your support and your amazing reviews, you're awesome.**

**Answering to some questions: **

**Nerdyicesk8er: I laughed my a** (I only swear on special occasions too ****) off with your reviews. And no, the cross-species are not symbiotes like Carnage or Venom, they're just simple monsters.**

**Neobendium: Sorry, I can't put your OC in the story right now because I already have the last chapter planned. Maybe in the next fic :-)**


	28. Chapter 28

"How could you do this, Harry?"

"I told you. If this city is not mine, no one will have it".

"And that's why you've tortured people and turned them into monsters?" Peter said furiously.

"Don't worry. They were thieves and killers. No one's gonna miss them".

"That doesn't justify it. Do you know how many people are dead because of what you've created? Do you even care?"

"Not really".

Peter had thought the cross-species were the worst monsters he had ever seen, but he was wrong. The real monster was standing in front of him. Harry had turned into someone Peter didn't recognize anymore. There wasn't any trace of that kid who he used to spend hours with, now he was just a person thirsty for blood and power. He had hoped Harry to change, thinking that his attitude was a side-effect of the serum he had taken. But he would never change and his childhood friend was as good as dead. It was a painful realization, but maybe it was what he needed to not hold back when he fought against him.

Harry shot at him, but Peter dodged the bullets thanks to his spider-sense, and lunged at Harry. The hero punched him in the stomach... repeatedly. He knew he was losing control but he didn't care. All he could think about was those bodies lying on the ground, bloody and half eaten by the cross-species.

"How could you do it? How?" he repeated with every punch.

Harry was on his knees, and bit Peter in the arm. The hero took a step back and looked at the wound. _That's going to leave a scar_ he thought.

The villain got up with Peter's blood in his mouth and his eyes filled with rage and fury. It would be a scary sight for anybody else but not for Peter. He wasn't afraid of Harry anymore.

"Have you ever thought that if you had given me your father's research none of this would have happened?" Harry shouted. "That if you had helped me like my friend we wouldn't be here?"

"Don't blame me for this, Harry. I didn't force you to turn into this. There were other solutions".

Harry just growled and grabbed his glider. Peter cursed. If Harry got on that glider it would be much more difficult to catch him. He knew his webs wouldn't work so before the glider took off, Peter launched himself at Harry making him fall off the glider. They both ended up on the ground, breathless. Harry got on his knees and punched Peter in the face. He got out a knife from his belt and raised it, ready to kill the hero. Peter grabbed Harry's arm, and elbowed him in the stomach. Then, he shot a web ball at his eyes, leaving him blind. Harry tried to rip off the web without success.

"What? You're not so brave anymore, are you?" Peter mocked him getting up.

Peter wasn't a violent person. Yes, he knew beating criminals in dark alleys wasn't the best way to prove it, but he had never punched someone more than it had been necessary. He sent criminals to prison but not to hospitals. So he considered what he was about to do an exception to the rule. He picked up the glider from the floor and hit Harry with it in the face with so much force that the villain was sent flying to the other part of the room. Then, he broke the glider in two and threw it to the floor again. He didn't want to see that damned object ever again. He walked towards Harry who was lying on the ground, semi-conscious. His nose was bent and bleeding, probably broken. Good. Peter thought with satisfaction. He put a foot over his stomach and pushed down. Harry's eyes widened and he let out a pained gasp.

"This ends here, you hear me Harry? You're going to be sent to Ravencroft again where you won't be able to cause more damage, and I swear if you ever escape, I'll kill you".

"You've never killed anyone" Harry said laughing.

"I'll make an exception with you".

Harry must have heard something in his voice that told him he wasn't kidding because he stopped laughing.

"Who cares?" Harry replied. "We're both going to die here".

"What are you talking ab... " But then, he understood it "The bomb".

"I bet you had forgotten about it, right?"

"Do you realize you'll die too?"

"It's still a victory. Maybe the city won't be mine but I'll take its great hero with me".

Peter looked around him. They were on a second floor without windows. Maybe he could take the stairs down to the first floor and get out. _At least I can try it_ he thought. He looked at Harry and sighed. Despite his threats, Peter couldn't leave someone in a building about to explode. That would only make him as bad as Harry. But I can leave him unconscious, he'll be easier to carry if he's quiet. Peter walked towards him, but before he had taken two steps a loud crash echoed throughout the building. Harry burst out laughing.

"Good-bye Spider-Man".

Peter felt how the floor collapsed under him. He tried to shoot a web line but there wasn't anything to hold on to since the whole building was collapsing. The last thing he felt was something hitting him on the back of his head.

* * *

"Do you think he'll be fine?"

"Of course he'll be. He's Spider-Man, after all".

The Avengers were still fighting cross-species in Manhattan though they all were worried about their youngest member. They often looked at the part where the laboratories were, hoping to see an explosion.

"It should have exploded by now, right?" Tony asked.

"It's been five minutes. Give him time" Natasha said.

"Five? It looks longer".

"Why would that be?" Clint answered sarcastically. "Maybe because we're fighting a mass of monsters?"

And it didn't look like they were winning. They all were tired and the monsters just kept coming. It was like the battle against the Chitauri, except that time they didn't know how to defeat them. What they did know was that they couldn't keep up that pace for long. Suddenly, a roar echoed throughout the streets.

"Thank God" Steve said.

The roar belonged to the Hulk that was exactly what they needed at that moment. What better way to defeat a group of uncontrolled monsters than with the king of the uncontrolled monsters?

The Hulk smashed his fist into the floor and sent a good deal of monsters flying. Some hybrids tried to bite him without success since he shook them off as if they were simple insects. Unfortunately, the hybrids learned quickly that union is strength and they started attacking him at the same time making the Hulk have a hard time defeating them.

He had been so distracted watching the Hulk that Steve didn't realize a monster had sneak up behind him until it was too late. The hybrid grabbed him by one leg and tossed him around like a rag doll. Steve tried to hit it with his shield, but the monster grabbed it and threw it away. The hybrid slammed Steve into the ground and his head crashed against the pavement with a sickening thud. He could feel blood dripping from his forehead, and, even though he knew he had to get up or that monster would kill him, he just couldn't. It felt like his body and his brain were disconnected. The hybrid leaned over him with its claws ready to kill him and Steve knew that was the end. He had always thought he would die fighting HYDRA soldiers or something like that. He had to recognize he hadn't seen that one coming. Suddenly, the sky lighted up. Steve thought it was a side-effect of the concussion he probably had. But then, a ray of energy hit the monster, leaving it like an overcooked sandwich.

Steve looked up and, like he was seeing everything blurry, he could only see a figure with long blond hair. He didn't need anything else though, he knew exactly who that hair belong to.

"What took you so long, Thor?"

"Asgard's reception is pretty bad. Jane called me and told me you needed help, but...this?" he said, pointing at the disaster. "A few months alone and you cause this?"

"It wasn't us!" Tony yelled while he shot at the monsters. "It was the green lunatic!"

Thor just shook his head and said:

"Midgardians cannot be left unwatched".

"Could you stop philosophizing about our culture and give us a hand, Goldilocks?"

"Fine. Get out of the way if you don't want to be electrocuted".

The team did as they were told. Thor raised his hammer and a giant lighting lighted up the sky. It crashed against the pavement, and the Avengers had to cover their eyes with their hands due to the shining. Then, the rays spread out from the sky over the streets hitting a lot of monsters. When everything was finished, at least a quarter of the hybrids was dead. All of the Avengers smiled because the odds had suddenly changed at their favor.

"I never thought I'd say this to another guy, but I love you, Thor" Clint said.

"Is this one of your customs that I don't understand?" Thor asked, obviously confused.

"More or less" Natasha said chuckling. "Do you think you could do this a couple more of times?"

"Yeah, I think so. But it takes a lot of my strength so I would need to rest afterwards".

"No problem, my alien friend. If my tower is still standing, you'll have the most luxurious suite" Tony said.

Suddenly, a loud boom was heard. The team looked at the Horizon labs. It was too far away to see it clearly, but a column of smoke was rising from the point where the labs were.

"Peter did it" Clint said.

"Who's Peter?" Thor asked.

"Spider-Man. New member, he crawls walls. We'll tell you everything later" Tony answered.

"Guys, we have a problem" Steve said. "Peter is not answering".

"What do you mean with he's not answering?"

"I mean I've tried to use the earphone to talk to him, but he is not answering".

There were a few seconds of silence until Natasha asked the question they all were afraid to answer.

"What if he didn't get out?"

"He had time" Clint said. "I taught him how to set the timer".

"Maybe something happened" Natasha suggested. "We don't know where Osborn is. What if he attacked Peter?"

"Okay, that's it. I'm going to the Horizon labs" Tony said with determination.

"Can you take care of this by yourself, Thor?" Steve said.

"Sure. No problem".

"Great. Hulk can help you with the ones that are dispersed. After that, go to the Oscorp tower and get rid of the ones there too".

Thor nodded and said:

"Good luck, I hope your friend is fine".

All of the Avengers, except Thor and the Hulk, ran to the Horizon labs. They didn't know how long it took them to get there but, to them it was eternal. The worst thing was that they hadn't seen Spider-Man in the way so the odds of him being in the labs were increasing.

The labs were a complete disaster. The building was destroyed and about to collapse. Some of the hybrids' bodies were lying on the debris. If they had gotten out, the city would have been doomed. The Avengers just hoped Peter didn't have to sacrifice himself to ensure New York safety.

They started to search between the debris, scanning the building looking for a trace of blue or red and at the same time praying not to find anything. Suddenly, a moan was heard, and they saw a hand in a green armor. They all knew who it was. Steve grabbed Harry by the neck and lifted him up. The villain was bloody and only half-conscious, but he didn't care. He just wanted to know what had happened to his teammate.

"Where is he, Osborn?"

Harry just chuckled and said:

"Somewhere around here. Good luck finding him, this place is huge".

Steve almost threw him to the other side of the building, but he contained himself. The most important thing was to find Peter before it was too late.

"I have an idea to find him" Tony said. "Jarvis, use the thermal vision".

"Sir, that will exhaust the supply of energy of the suit".

"And do you think I care about that? Do what I said!"

The thermal vision was activated immediately and Tony's world turned orange, blue and green. He saw the bodies under the debris. All of them were the deformed figures of the cross-species. And they were a lot. _I don't even want to imagine what would have happened if those monsters had been loose_ Tony thought suppressing a shudder. Then, he saw it. A human figure.

He didn't even warn the team. He just ran towards the place and started caving. The others joined him and they put apart most of the debris in seconds. Then, they saw a blue glove and felt how their hearts stopped for a moment.

They got Spider-Man out of the debris. His suit was dusty and torn, and there was more blood than it was recommendable.

"He's alive, but his pulse is very weak" Natasha said.

Then, she pulled up his mask so he could breathe better. He had a gash on his forehead and bruises on his jaw that were starting to turn purple. It was a heartbreaking sight.

"I'm going to kill that bastard of Osborn" Clint said getting up.

"Clint, he's not worth it" Steve said. "Right now we have to take Peter to the tower".

Tony touched Peter's arm gently and said:

"You can't give up now, kid. We have won, but it won't be worth anything if you give up. You have to fight".

As if he had heard Tony, Peter started coughing. He opened his eyes slowly, and looked at the team knelt around him.

"What happened?" he asked with a sore throat.

"That you saved the day, kid" Steve said with a grin. "But don't give us a scare like that again".

Peter didn't have any idea what he was talking about. His entire body hurt and his mind was fuzzy. But he did know one thing: if something happened, the Avengers would come to help him and that made him feel safe when he fell asleep again.

* * *

_Six months later_

"Peter Parker".

Peter got up and dried his hands on his black gown. He had never been so nervous and he was feeling everyone's eyes on him. He was shy, and this kind of stuff was not for him. Couldn't he skip this whole thing? But no. His aunt had told him to go, Gwen had told him to go...Hell, even the Avengers had told him to go and he couldn't say no to the Avengers, right? He walked towards the platform and shook the director's hand while he gave him the diploma.

"Congratulations ".

"Thanks, Mr. Faukman".

He got off the scenario as fast as he could, even though people were applauding. No one had done anything for him since the first time he set a foot on Midtown high so why did he have to go to his graduation? But then, he saw his aunt between the rows of seats and Gwen, on one of the first seats with the same gown as his. They both were looking at him proudly and Peter had never seen them so happy_. At least they are enjoying it_ he thought. He sat down in his seat again and waited for the ceremony to finish. _And I kept the Avengers from coming,that's also a good thing._ Those guys were completely unable to understand what the concept of secret identity meant. Peter had to convince them not to go because, how the hell would he explain that the Avengers had come to his graduation?

"And yes, guys" Peter had said while he was explaining his reasons. "People would still recognize you even if you all wore caps and sunglasses. That incognito costume is not as great as you all think it is".

Back in the present, the ceremony finished and his aunt walked towards him and hugged him.

"I'm so proud of you, Peter".

"Aunt May, I've finished high school. Almost everyone does that nowadays".

"Yeah, but not with everything you've had to suffer".

Peter smiled. It was true his high school years hadn't been easy (especially when he was bitten by a genetically-altered spider and became one of the most famous vigilantes of New York) but he was going to go the Empire State University and he had the feeling things were going to be better. The Sinister Six (as the press had called them) were locked up in prison for life, the few members left of HAMMER were being hunted down and Harry was in Ravencroft again. And what was better, he didn't remember Peter was Spider-Man. According to SHIELD, they had a high-classified machine that could wipe out people's memories. Peter had decided not to ask questions. The less he knew about SHIELD, the better.

"There's my spider-boy" Gwen said and, before Peter could reply that it was Spider-Man, not spider-boy, she kissed him.

Of course, Peter forgot immediately what he was going to say and could only focus on her lips against his. And of course, he felt a tinge of disappointment when she pulled back.

"We'll have time for more later" Gwen said. "Besides, your aunt is right here".

Peter blushed and turned to his aunt:

"I'm sorry, aunt May. I didn't mean to..."

"Don't worry, I've been young too and I've shared long kisses with Ben. If he could see you now, he would be the happiest man on Earth".

The teenager felt a little sad at the thought of his uncle. Peter would have wanted him to see him too, and he knew he would feel like that in every important event of his life. He would always miss his uncle.

"C'mon" his aunt said before he could get depressed. "We have to go home".

They were walking towards the parking lot when a limo pulled up beside them. The car door opened revealing the driver. Peter knew it was Tony's driver though he didn't remember his name right then. _Joy, or something like that_ he thought.

"Congratulations for your graduation, Mr. Parker" the driver said. "The Avengers want to see you at the tower"

"Tell them I'll go see them later".

"They've insisted" he said.

"Why don't you go and have fun?" Gwen said.

Peter looked closely at her face and he realized what was going on.

"You already knew they wanted to see me, right? You both had it all planned".

Gwen and his aunt just gave him a knowing smile.

"Just go" his aunt said. "I'm sure you'll have a great time".

Peter smiled and gave them both a hug before getting into the limo. He arrived at the tower ten minutes later (mainly because Happy had driven through the red traffic lights). He passed the reception where the secretary waved at him. People at the tower had gotten used to see him around with the excuse that he was Tony's new intern. Actually, he had gone to Tony's lab many times, it was like candy land, there were all sorts of machines and Tony had even given him permission to try to update his armors.

He took the elevator up to the Avengers tower, wondering what they were up to. The doors opened, but the room was empty.

"Guys, where are you?" Peter asked. Please, tell me there's not any super villain. I'm not in the mood for that.

"Surprise!"

Suddenly, the Avengers came out of the kitchen. Peter burst out laughing when he saw what Natasha was holding in her hands. It was a blue and red cake with the form of a spider. The words happy graduation were written with black letters.

"You didn't have to do this" Peter said.

"Not every day a member of our team finishes high school" Natasha said.

"That's because most of us are adults who have finished high school long ago" Clint regretted his comment when Steve elbowed him.

"Besides this is not just a graduation party" Tony said with a smile Peter didn't like at all.

"What are you planning, Tony?"

"Get your suit and I'll tell you".

"I'm not getting my suit until you tell me what's going on".

"Tony, tell him" Steve said.

"Fine" the billionaire said resigned. "You all are killjoys. Remember when you told us you wanted to delay your official announcement as an Avenger until you finished high school?"

Peter cursed. Of course he remembered. When all the madness finished and Peter returned to his (more or less) normal life, he had said that to the Avengers because he needed time to focus on his studies. He hadn't thought he could have stood the pressure (aka Jameson ranting about him in every known media) of being an Avenger officially. Sure, people's opinion about him had improved a lot after he had saved the city, but there were still people against him.

"Well, you've already graduated" Tony said.

Peter groaned.

"Can't we leave it for another day?"

"Yeah, May already told me you would say that".

"May? Since when are you on a first name basis with my aunt?"

"Relax, kid. She's more Cap's type than mine".

"Those jokes about my age are getting old Tony" Steve said annoyed.

"No they aren't" Clint said. "They are the funniest jokes Tony tells".

"Anyway" Tony said addressing to Peter again, " you're coming with us whether you like it or not".

"Yeah, I thought you like being an Avenger. Why does this bother you so much?" Bruce said.

"I do like being an Avenger. What I don't like is cameras and press".

"Pretty ironic, don't you think, photographer?" Clint said. "C'mon it will fun seeing Jameson's face when he hears the news".

"Maybe" Peter said resigned because he knew there was no point in arguing with them. "I'm gonna change".

Five minutes later he was in the lobby, with the Avengers beside him. The press conference was in the next room, and Peter was getting nervous just hearing the clicks of the cameras. There was a lot of expectation, usually the Avengers never called a press conference. Tony had decided to talk first since he was the one who had more experience with that kind of situation. And because he liked to show off too.

"Ladies and gentlemen" Tony said, "I know this is unexpected but it has an explanation. We have an important announcement to make. These last months have been chaotic and tragic to say the least. Many citizens have died because of some soulless people who wanted to cause as much pain as possible. And we've realized that we're not enough to protect this city. That's why I'd like to introduce you to your new member".

I'd prefer to fight a hundred cross-species than doing this Peter thought. With his heart beating faster than ever, he opened the door and walked towards the scenario. The journalists started making photos as if their jobs depended on it (and they probably did). They were all surprised because no one had seen that one coming. And Clint was right, seeing Jameson's red face was very funny. The director of the Daily Bugle stood up and shouted:

"Are you out of your mind, Stark? He's a menace, we should call the NYPD so they can arrest him once and for all! You don't even know who is behind that mask!"

"Yeah, I know it" all of the Avengers looked at Tony alarmed and ready to make him shut up before he revealed Spider-Man's identity. "He's the guy who risked his life to save this city even though no one believed in him. That includes me too, and I'm really sorry for it" Tony added looking at Peter who was just staring at him dumbfounded. Tony had already apologized to him, but Peter had never expected him to apologize in front of everyone.

"I'm with Tony in this matter" Steve said. "Spider-Man is a good man who has proved a lot of times he's willing to do whatever it takes to protect people. There's no one who deserves more being an Avenger".

Peter's jaw dropped open._ Captain freaking America had said no one deserved more being an Avenger than me! Are you kidding me?_ He thought. He looked at the other Avengers who were grinning at him as if they completely agreed with Steve's words.

"Do you want to say something, Spider-Man?" Steve asked him giving him the microphone.

Peter smiled. He had never had anyone who fully understood what being a hero was. The need that made him want to help people and protect them, to make the world a better place. And suddenly, he had these six wonderful people. A team, and also friends. He grabbed the microphone and said:

"I couldn't ask for a better group of people to work with".

And he really meant it.

**THE END.**

* * *

**A/N: I'm sad this is the end, but it had to come someday. Thanks to everyone who have followed and favorited and to CeCe-Rockz, RAB Crookshanks, Shakura134, Batman111893, Nerdyicesk8er, neobendium, spiderman1fan, Kosmic, MarvelSpiderMan, Guest of honor, xan-merrick, LuvFiction Xxxx, Victoria, youngjusticefanatic, cometsrule, Hayeh, Koi fish, BubliBag, wonderfulfanatic, TBD, Coco, Cabrera 1234, Suwariish, mbb02 and Rin-s666 for your wonderful reviews and support. (Sorry if I forgot to mention someone, but you're a lot!). I hope everyone liked the ending. I wanted to put a happy note to the story. Until next fanfic,**

**Locaxlaficcion.**


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